Convergence
by Shivani
Summary: Slash, Squall.Harry - An AU-Crossover exploration into a possible evolution of the HP world to an altered redux of Final Fantasy VIII, where part of the motto is: stamp out the stupid.
1. Ortus

**Title**: Convergence  
**Pairing**: Squall/Harry  
**Summary**: An AU-Crossover exploration into a possible evolution of the HP world to an altered redux of Final Fantasy VIII, where part of the motto is: stamp out the stupid.

**Spoilers**: FF VIII (and only the odd points from HBP & DH really matter)  
**Warnings**: AU-Crossover (massive canon mangling), mild slash

**Disclaimer**: This story is primarily based on characters and situations created and owned by Square-Enix, but also by J. K. Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books, and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

FF VIII sources include (but are not limited to) a game script by Shotgunnova (at GameFAQs) and video references at Blue Laguna. (You can obtain the entire canon story in video from there, under Disc 0. The Disc 1-4 videos are CG cutscenes only.) Certain concepts are borrowed from other places, one of which might be considered FF VII.

**Notes**: The majority of this is set within the world of FF VIII, not HP, with Harry being the only character who exists in that time frame due to 'mysterious' circumstances. In fact, we spend almost no time whatsoever in Potterverse. Game canon is gleefully mangled to allow for the inclusion of Harry with a massively heavy dose of 'truth lost in the mists of time'. That sort of thing.

Like the summary says, this is a redux, so expect to be dragged through the full story, minus any parts I'd rather spork myself than recap (or any parts where Squall is not there, because this is all from his POV). Frankly, I expect parts of it to be really, really boring, simply because there are some staggeringly boring parts to this game. And frankly, sometimes it really shows that I couldn't bring myself to give a flying fig. So, feel free to get tetchy over that, but I _did_ warn you.

(Psssst! RPG Speech Disorder abounds! Aaaaaahhh! Talk to Nimby, eh?)  
(Psssst! The Pit of Despair just won the award for Most Unfriendly for their 22 March 2008 note about scene separators.)

* * *

— Convergence: 01: Ortus —

* * *

Harry was incredibly upset, understandably so, when he learned that his only option toward a resolution of defeating Voldemort involved his own willing death. Having found out that he, essentially, carried a piece of the man's soul, however small, was enough to make him ill to the point of dry heaving. They had spent so long tracking down the horcruxes, so long, and had been incredibly lucky to have managed to deal a death blow to the last, most wily of them all.

And then to learn, via that meddling headmaster, that he himself was one? So much for the last laugh.

Then again, he was so very tired, and if his death would allow for the end, he was willing to do his duty, no matter how much the prospect of death scared him. The battle itself was long and drawn out, and despite his youth and energy Harry realized that he could not go on for much longer. It seemed, quite unfairly, that Voldemort's ritual-realized body had some advantages.

It might be necessary for him to die, but he would not go meekly.

The dark lord eventually won the battle of luck and speared Harry with a killing curse; he went down without a sound. Many people witnessed it, both good and evil, far too many for it ever to be denied. Voldemort gloated for a minute, then gathered up a mass of power, half draining some of his nearest followers, then cast a banishing spell at the body.

The people despaired; their 'Chosen One' had been killed. They had invested so much of their hope in a single person, barely more than a boy, so what hope was left for them? And they submitted.

Eventually the people came to realize just how badly they had handled their lives, and how badly they had wronged their once savior. They had, since the temporary defeat of Voldemort, lived their lives essentially carefree, having neither paid for nor fought for that freedom. And now it was gone. Guilt set in.

With guilt came introspection, and with introspection came ideas, and with ideas came rebellion. Voldemort was defeated for good five years later, a combined effort of the remnants of the Order of the Phoenix, resolute British citizens, and help from magical governments in other countries.

Life, as it tends to do, went on.

* * *

Harry found himself in some sort of overly well-lit train station, which was puzzling in the extreme, but after giving it a few moments of thought made a peculiar sort of sense. Maybe. He was distracted on seeing a man who looked alarmingly like Dumbledore sitting on a bench not far away, and went to see if any answers could be found.

"Ah, Harry, how lovely to see you. Sit, please."

He did, eyeing the man suspiciously. "What is this? I had expected, if anything, to see my parents again, not you."

Dumbledore nodded sadly. "Still angry, I see."

"Look, I understand why I had to die. I don't understand why I'm stuck here. No offense, but you aren't exactly my favorite person right now."

"I realize that. You see, Harry, you're only as dead as you want to be."

Harry bit his lip as his hands clenched into fists, trying to control his temper at the old man's stupid riddles. "And what does that mean?"

"Just what I said," Dumbledore replied. "You—"

Harry grabbed tightly onto the bench as the whole place began shaking as though at the epicenter of an earthquake, and kept holding until the tremors weakened and finally ceased. "What the bloody hell was that!?"

Dumbledore looked mildly confused as he fiddled with his long beard, gaze aimed somewhere at the sky. "I'm not entirely sure, my boy."

He flexed his hands to release the tension and pinned the old man with an expectant stare. "You were saying?"

"Ah, yes! You're only as dead as you want to be. If you so choose, you can move on to the next great adventure, or you can return to life."

Harry blinked a few times and shook his head. "I was hit by the killing curse," he said, then added, just to make sure the old man was on the same page, "Without my mother's sacrifice as a protection."

"True, true, but that was mainly for the purpose of dealing with the soul shard within you. Consider that dead, certainly, but you are in a state of limbo, neither alive nor dead. Only you can make that choice. Sherbet lemon?"

He rose from the bench and began pacing; anything to stop himself from hexing the man into next week. Even in death Dumbledore was enough to try the patience of a saint, and Harry was no saint. "I can live?"

"Yes," Dumbledore said as he popped a sweet in his mouth.

He could live. As frightening as that thought was, it was less so than the idea of death. Harry squinted at the old man and asked, "Are you even really here? Do you exist?"

"Does anything?" Dumbledore responded maddeningly.

Harry slapped a hand to his temple where a vein started to throb. "I see. Well, all right. It's been lovely seeing you again, not, but I choose to live."

"Splendid, my boy! Off you go, then." Dumbledore waved a hand in a vague gesture and everything changed.

Harry found himself . . . somewhere. It was not the battlefield. It was nowhere he recognized, in fact, but nothing seemed threatening. Well, aside from the fact that he seemed to be encased in some sort of crystal, felt better than he had his entire life, and was aware of a peculiar tickle at the back of his mind.

_'Hello, child.'_

Had he not been trapped as he was he might have fallen over in surprise. "Where am I?"

_'After your defeat your enemy banished your body to the Bermuda Triangle, child. It is not without good reason that almost nothing is known about the place.'_

_'That's halfway around the bloody world,'_ he thought.

_'Yes, it is.'_

He started again, not having realized the voice was mental.

_'I like you,'_ the voice said. _'I've decided to keep you for a while.'_

"Oh, Merlin."

* * *

"How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine."

_'You always say that.'_

"Looks like your eyes are focusing properly. Say your name for me."

He sighed slightly and said, "Squall."

"Why don't you take it easy in training? Next time you might not be so lucky."

"Tell that to Seifer," he said flatly.

The doctor shot him an exasperated look. "He won't listen to anyone. Why don't you just ignore him?"

"That would make it rather difficult to spar," he explained for what felt like the millionth time. _'I swear the woman never listens to me.'_

Kadowaki shook her head and started for the door. "I'll go call your instructor. Just wait here a minute."

_'You remind me so much of myself at times. That's probably going to scar.'_

Squall snorted. _'Whatever.'_

Warm laughter echoed in his mind. _'Hm, who's that?'_

Squall glanced around casually, spotting a young woman behind the observation window. She said something too softly for him to hear before walking out of sight.

_'Do you recognize her?'_ the voice asked curiously.

_'She looks a lot like Sis might,'_ he responded thoughtfully. _'But why would Sis be here?'_

Quistis stepped into the room a second later and frowned at him. "I knew it'd either be you or Seifer! Come on, let's go. Today's the field exam."

He slid off the bed and followed her out, mentally cringing against what he expected to be the latest attempt on her part to 'understand' him. As they were walking down the hall toward the core she asked, "Is there something on your mind?"

"Not really," he said, with her saying the same at almost the same time.

_'Aside from throttling her?'_

She laughed, prompting him to say, "What's so funny?"

"Funny? No, I'm just happy. I feel like I'm finally beginning to understand my student a little, that's all."

"Suit yourself."

Quistis hesitated at that, but pressed on, escorting him to the usual classroom on the second floor. He wondered along the way why it always went like this, with him having to wait to be sprung from Kadowaki's care, like he was incapable of walking that distance on his own, or might get lost heading to a classroom he was depressingly familiar with.

The voice sounded a bit perturbed when it said, _'I'm starting to think she likes you.'_

He nearly grimaced at that, and gladly slung himself into his usual seat, looking up when Quistis cleared her throat in a bid for attention.

"Good morning, class. Let's start with today's schedule. There seems to have been some rumors flying around since yesterday... Yes, the field exam for SeeD candidates will begin later this afternoon. Those not participating and those who failed last week's test are to remain here in study hall. Field exam participants will have free time until the exam. Just be sure you're in top condition. Meet in the lobby at 1600 hours. I'll announce the team assignments there. Any questions? Oh, Seifer! Do _not_ injure your partner while training."

The blond in question glanced over at him and slammed his hand on his desk. Squall thought the scolding was pointless; there was always a danger of injury during a spar, and anyone who thought otherwise was opting for a dance recital, not training.

"Field exam participants, I will see you all later. And, Squall, I need to talk to you."

_'Why couldn't she have done so on the way here?'_ He waited until everyone cleared out before standing up and approaching her.

"You haven't been to the Fire Cavern yet, have you? You won't be able to take part in today's SeeD exam if you don't pass this prerequisite. Do you have a good excuse?"

Knowing that nothing he might say would appease her, he simply shook his head.

"Then let's get going. Take care of any last minute details and meet me at the front gate." She quit the room briskly, much to his relief.

He spent a few minutes checking over his junctions while chatting. _'It's obvious she still doesn't remember who I am. Maybe you're right.'_

_'Well, I can hope not, but perhaps. And she doesn't have the advantages you do.'_

_'You're an advantage?'_ he deadpanned.

More laughter, followed by, _'To quote a great man: whatever.'_

A quick grin escaped him. _'There'll come a day when you can't hide from me any longer.'_

_'Yeah. I'd really like that.'_ The voice sounded wistful. _'Think you could handle me in person?'_

_'At the risk of sounding entirely perverse, I'd like to handle you in person.'_

A shocked silence spanned several moments. _'You don't even know what I look like! I could be...'_

_'Female?'_

There was an echoing groan. _'There's no reason to be rude. Ah, you'd better get going. She'll probably hunt you down if you take too much longer.'_

_'Yes, Griever.'_

_'You know that's not my real name,'_ Griever said peevishly.

_'Yeah, but it sounds cool,'_ he shot back, then headed off.

The trip to the Fire Cavern was routine in his opinion. Quistis tried to treat him like he was an imbecile, frequently questioning him about the basics, things he had long since learned. She even went so far as to mention that many male SeeD candidates choked up around her during low-level GF runs. It was like...

_'She needs a few dozen less Trepies.'_

Squall choked back his reaction and bravely forged on, hoping she would get the idea and stop making suggestive comments. She was supposed to be his support, not an agent for embarrassment. He wondered just how cold he would have to be to get her to back off, and if she did this to other students. Perhaps it was just those she was at the orphanage with, due to some obscure memory of the past?

Ifrit was duly subdued, which gained him its service, and they were shortly back at the main gate of Garden. "All right," Quistis said, "we're in good time. Get changed into your uniform and assemble at the main lobby."

Squall nodded and headed off to the dorms. He hated the uniforms; they could dress in any fashion they wished except for times like these, making them an imposition. By the time he returned there were a number of people milling about, and Quistis had also found time to change.

"Squall! Over here! Let's see, you'll be with Zell Dincht. Quite a lively fellow."

"He's more loud than lively. This can't be changed?"

"I'm afraid not," she said with a shake of her head. "Zell!"

The martial artist bounced his way over, showing off out of sheer exuberance he assumed. When offered a hand to shake he ignored it, fearful in his heart of hearts that something like that was infectious.

Zell pulled his hand back with a brief frown. "Heard Seifer whooped you pretty bad this morning."

"Even were that true, we were training."

"Bet he doesn't think so. He's just being a pain in the ass. Ignore him."

_'Why do people fell compelled to give me advice based on rumor and hearsay?'_ he complained.

_'I don't think it ever becomes less annoying,'_ Griever commiserated._ 'There's just something about taciturn people that makes others believe they need to fix them somehow.'_

"That's none of—"

"Your business," Quistis finished for him with a smirk. "Ah, you two, Seifer is your squad leader." When Zell went bug-eyed she added, "It can't be changed. Seifer! Are you here?"

He noticed his sparring partner approach out of the corner of his eye and smirked inwardly. If his injury was likely to scar, so was Seifer's. And as usual, the man's posse arrived with him, making up the other two thirds of the disciplinary committee, a bit of a joke in his opinion.

"You're the squad leader," Quistis informed Seifer. "Good luck."

The blond gunblader stared at her. "Instructor. I hate it when people wish me luck. Save it for someone who actually needs it, eh?"

Quistis nodded understandingly. "Okay. Good luck, then."

Seifer snapped his fingers loudly. "Add Instructor Trepe to the list!"

_'Does he really think that means anything?'_

"You three make up Squad B, with me as the instructor in charge. As a reminder, teamwork is of the utmost importance. Let's get through this exam, everyone!"

Seifer practically posed, gunblade tapping on his shoulder, then barked, "Listen up! Teamwork means staying out of my way, so don't forget it!"

Squall was saved from further dominance displays when Headmaster Cid arrived.

"It's been a while, everyone. How's everyone doing?" Cid paused to gaze around and briefly catch the eye of everyone waiting. "This exam will involve twelve members, squads A through D. You will be proceeding to a real battlefield. Obviously, the battles are for real. Life and death, victory and defeat, honor and disgrace... Each of these go hand in hand. There's only one way or the other. How 'bout it? You still up for it?

"You'll be accompanied by nine SeeD members. Should you fail these members shall get the job done. They always do. Well, that's one less worry on your mind. The pride of Balamb Garden! The elite mercenary force, SeeD! Learn from them, obey their commands, and accomplish the mission. Prove yourselves worthy of becoming a member of SeeD. Best of luck."

There was a sigh in the back of his mind. _'I hate to say it, but that man has no business making motivational speeches. I feel vastly underwhelmed.'_

_'You and me both,'_ Squall replied, then followed the others to the garage to catch a transport to town.

_'Ah, well. This, too, shall change.'_

Squall frowned faintly, ignoring Zell's request to see his gunblade. _'What's that mean?'_

_'Nothing, I suppose. It's just a saying. Sort of like saying birds gotta fly, fish gotta swim. He simply seems unsuited to the role he just played. You are going to be careful, right?'_

_'Yes. I hope to acquit myself well, and I can't do that if I'm being careless.'_

_'I wonder where you're headed,'_ Griever mused.

_'We'll find out soon enough.'_

_'I know, I just hate being in the dark.'_

Zell's whining broke through again. "Say somethin', will ya!? What's on your mind?"

Squall shot the man a brief glance and went back to his internal conversation. _'I'd ask about that girl, but I doubt Quistis would know. Not if she doesn't even remember any of us.'_

_'No. Someday, they might. Memories have an odd way of surfacing when you least expect it.'_

_'Like your parents?'_ He lost the answer as the jolting stop of the transport distracted him. Everyone piled out and looked toward the docks. _'So that answers one question, not that I expected otherwise.'_

A man from the pier shouted, "Hey! You guys are the last! Hurry up and get in!"

"Don't disappoint me now," Seifer said cockily as he strolled toward the ship.

"Come on, move it!" Quistis ordered before trotting off as well.

Squall sighed and followed, Zell shadow boxing the air at his side.

"Hurry, Squall!"

_'You know, if she keeps that up she'll give others a complex. Does she even realize how much she ignores other people in favor of you?'_

He stepped onto the ship and ducked inside, then found a seat. _'Makes me feel like a little kid. I hate it. You'd think she'd pick on Zell rather than me.'_

Quistis stood up again almost immediately as a dark-haired woman entered. "Xu, these are the members of Squad B."

Squall murmured a greeting that was lost in Zell's more enthusiastic offering.

Xu cast an appraising look at Seifer. "Seifer, how many times has it been now?"

"Oh," Seifer said blithely, "I just love these exams..."

Xu rolled her eyes and stepped to the front of the room. "I'll explain the current situation and the mission. Our client for this mission is the Dollet Dukedom Parliament. A request for SeeD was made eighteen hours ago. Dollet has been under attack by the G-Army since about seventy-two hours ago. Forty-nine hours into the battle, Dollet abandoned their position in the inner city. Currently, they have retreated into the nearby mountains and are reorganizing their troops. That's the current status.

"Now onto the mission objective. According to our reports, the G-Army is mopping up the Dollet troops in the mountain region. We're to make a landing at Lapin Beach, and will eliminate the remaining G-Army within the city, to liberate it ASAP. Afterward, SeeD members will intercept any G-Army forces trying to make their way into the city from the mountain region."

Seifer shifted impatiently. "So, what are _we_ supposed to do?"

"SeeD candidates are to eliminate the G-Army inside the city. Oh, it hardly needs to be said, but... The order to withdraw takes priority. Do not forget. We're almost there, and anticipate a battle as soon as we disembark, so be prepared. Any questions, talk to Quistis." Xu carefully made her way back out of the room after a nod to the instructor.

_'So the odds of there being many enemies in the city itself is low,'_ he mused. _'Not exactly what I would have expected for an exam.'_

_'Perhaps, but you can't be sure of that. It depends a lot on the size of the army they sent, so they might have enough people to split forces. Galbadia just keeps on, doesn't it, almost like they're trying to annex the entire continent.'_

_'Maybe it's some weird response to that last war? Scuttlebutt paints Vinzer Deling as a dictator.'_

There was silence in reply to that, and Squall knew from experience that pushing for a response was useless. Griever occasionally gave the impression that he knew a lot more about the world than Squall did, and he wasn't always willing to be expansive. _'I don't know if there's a connection,'_ was all he finally got.

"If we're landing soon, then go check things out topside," Seifer told him.

"Acknowledged."

"Good. Because that's _my_ order."

Squall got up and slipped through the door so he could take a look. He felt a strange thrill standing at the bow. The water raced by and he could see Dollet up ahead, the visible areas punctuated by explosions and people littering the beach. Other ships were nearby, some catapulting themselves over the breakwater walls in their haste. It made him wonder who would be covering the damages caused by their forces, or if it would all be written off as a necessary expense of war.

His ship crunched into the beach moments later, the bay door splitting open, prompting his team to emerge and rush down the ramp. He shot around quickly, not wanting to be accused of slowing them down.

"Okay! Squad B, you are to secure the central square."

Seifer nodded. "Let's move out," he said before heading for the stairs up from the beach. They had barely made it to the top when they were attacked, but the enemy was quickly defeated, and Seifer simply snorted before heading deeper into town. Eventually, though not without being attacked again, they arrived at their ordered location. "You two, scout the area for any more enemies."

Another battle ensued when he and Zell flushed out Galbadian soldiers from behind a blockade formed from cars. "I think that's all of them."

"Well, then, we're on standby 'til the enemy comes. Standby... how boring."

Squall took the opportunity to engage in his favorite pastime, all while making periodic, careful sweeps of the area with his eyes. _'Okay, so you were right.'_

_'You've done well so far,'_ Griever responded, making Squall grateful that he wasn't being teased._ 'All those years of training are paying off handsomely. I'm so very proud of you.'_

Squall practically squirmed in response, not having expected such praise. _'Well, ah, I just need to keep alert. No one said this would be incredibly exciting.'_ An explosion not far away gave lie to that thought, and a dog yelped and ran into the area, only to dodge a kick from Seifer.

_'Now that's just not right. You can tell a lot about people by how they treat animals and subordinates,'_ Griever commented.

"Get outta here! Scram!" Seifer growled, chasing the poor thing around the fountain. "Hey! Galbadian soldiers! What are you waiting for!? Come show me what you got! I mean honestly, that was it? What is this, some kind of dog training!?"

_'If this is how he's always acted on exams, I'm hardly surprised he's still not a SeeD.'_

Griever chuckled. _'Even Zell has more patience. I can't help at times but compare these people to those I knew. If they follow, then Seifer is in for a world of hurt someday, whereas Zell just needs to learn a little control over his emotions. And Quistis... she needs to realize that her ways are unintentionally alienating the people around her.'_

_'I feel like she views us as a collection of flaws to be corrected. She keeps digging to understand us, but only succeeds in pissing people off. I might actually like her if she stopped being so condescending.'_

_'Trust me, I know how you feel. I had a friend like that, but...'_

_'Did something happen to them?'_ he asked slowly.

_'Oh, she lived to a ripe old age. I just wasn't there to see it, so I've no idea if things would have changed, you know? She nagged a lot. What are you thinking? What's going on in that head of yours? Why won't you let us in? Stop breaking the rules!'_

Squall did another visual sweep, purposely not saying what was on his mind, as Griever was beginning to sound maudlin. A dog howled nearby, catching his attention, bringing to notice a group of Galbadian soldiers sneaking down one of the streets toward the mountains. He yanked Zell down and carefully edged over to Seifer, indicating with a jerk of his head what was going on.

"I wonder what's up there?" Zell said quietly, staring up the height of the mountain in the distance.

"Our next destination," Seifer responded confidently.

"But that's against orders," Zell objected.

_'And we're being judged in part on how well we follow orders. Seifer is the squad leader, and he'll take the heat on this. Besides, I'm curious.'_

"Weren't you just saying how bored you were?" Seifer taunted Zell.

"Squall!"

He looked away from the mountain and nodded. "I stand by the captain's decision."

Griever let out a slight sigh and singsonged, _'Rationalization!'_

Seifer gave him a look. "Captain's decision? You just want to wreak some havoc, too, don't you," he drawled accusingly.

"I'm not adverse to it," he admitted. "And there's got to be a reason why they'd be sneaking around like that, something they want to hide from our forces in the city."

"The hell? Since when did you two get along? You're like, all buddy-buddy now. Listen, this ain't no ordinary battle. It's an exam, an important one. I'm tellin' ya, we have to stick to orders."

"Then you stay here. I don't need any boy scouts," Seifer said mockingly.

"Zell," Squall said, "he is also the captain and we are to obey his orders. Seifer, if we're gonna go, let's hurry."

Seifer grinned broadly. "The enemy is obviously headed for that facility. We, Squad B, are to secure the summit. Move out!" he ordered, then stalked off down the street.

They crossed the bridge with only minor trouble, clearing out the soldiers left behind to guard the route, and eventually reached the base of the mountain itself. Squall was briefly startled when a soldier crawled out of the bushes, but relaxed when he took in the Dollet uniform.

"W-who are you!?"

"SeeD candidates," Seifer said shortly. "What's going on up there?"

"The Galbadian soldiers have entered the communication tower. It's a nesting ground for monsters! If you guys are goin' up, be careful." The soldier collapsed a moment later from his wounds.

Squall tossed a potion on the man and dragged him back off the path as Seifer whipped his gunblade around. "More fun for us. Come on!" He dashed off, making Squall sigh and roll his eyes.

"Let's go." They found the captain a bit farther along, flat to the ground and spying on some Galbadian soldiers some distance below them. Dropping into place Squall watched as a soldier emerged from the base of the tower and saluted the one outside.

"The generator is up and running, and no problem with the boosters!" he reported.

"The hell they doing?" Seifer muttered.

"Cable disconnection confirmed! Beginning exchange process!"

"Roger," responded the guard, then turned to face front as the other one ran back inside.

"Repairs?" Squall murmured.

"Who cares," Seifer said dismissively. "This must be your first real battle. You scared?"

_'First battle? Does he suffer from severe short term memory loss?'_

Squall choked back a snort. "I don't think of it in those terms."

"I love battles," Seifer said almost confidingly. "I fear nothing. The way I look at it, as long as you make it out of a battle alive, you're one step closer to fulfilling your dream."

"Your dream?" he asked slowly.

"You have one, too, don't you?"

"Sorry, but I'm going to pass on the subject." Like he would discuss that with someone like Seifer!

"Yo! Let me in on it, too!"

"Mind your own business," Seifer snarled as he stood, then added when Zell started shadow boxing, "Swatting flies again, Zell? Maybe you should bathe more often." He graced them with a smirk and stalked off down the path, not even bothering to give further orders.

"Damn you!" Zell shouted, completely forgetting they were in enemy territory and in danger of being overheard and discovered.

Squall stood up as well, then touched his forehead reflexively and sighed. _'Is it any wonder I get headaches?'_

"There you are!" a female voice called, the owner quickly coming into view with a spectacular (and obviously unintended) tumble. She bounced to her feet and grinned sheepishly as she gave a little wave. "Are you Squad B? I'm Selphie, from Squad A, here with a message. Your captain is Seifer, right? Where is he?"

Squall pointed.

She skipped to the edge of the promontory in time to see Seifer reach the tower entrance and yell over his shoulder, "One of these days, I'm gonna tell you 'bout my _romantic_ dream!"

"This sure is tough," she said with a sigh. "Captain! Wait up!!" Selphie took a few steps back, then launched herself forward, leaping over the edge. Squall was mildly impressed that she landed so well, and blinked when she glanced back up and shouted, "What are you waiting for!? Come on! Come on!"

Squall briefly considered leaping like she had, but chose to take the path instead. The feeling of warmth he got at that decision was pleasant, telling him that Griever approved. Besides, if he landed wrong...

Selphie was waiting impatiently, bouncing up and down. "It would have been so much quicker to jump!"

"Quicker?" Zell said. "People don't normally go jumping off cliffs, okay!? Ain't that right, Squall?"

"The possibility of broken bones is not a risk I like to court."

"Yeah!" Zell crowed and did some fancy footwork.

Squall shook his head and jerked his chin at the tower door. Before they had a chance to head inside two soldiers fled from within, Seifer on their heels, swinging his gunblade.

"Cowards!" he shouted at their retreating backs, then walked back inside.

"Heeey!" Selphie said. "The captain's getting away!"

_'You make him sound like an enemy.'_ Squall shook his head again and followed Seifer, surprised when he saw no sign of the man inside. A whirring sound caused him to look to the side and notice a lift descending.

Selphie dashed over to it and examined the controls. "C'mon!"

At the top Seifer was still nowhere to be seen, but there was someone, a Galbadian soldier who apparently liked to talk to himself.

"Let's see... Hmm... Put this here, and... this goes here, and... There, it's complete!" The soldier stepped back and looked up in satisfaction as a large piece of the machinery started to shift upward, behaving somewhat like a telescope in how it was constructed. With a final jolt of positioning the topmost section blossomed like a flower to form what Squall recognized as a satellite dish, and quickly began to function. For what purpose, though...

He dropped his gaze to the soldier and inquired coldly, "What do you think you're doing?"

The Galbadian whipped around with a squeak of shock. "Huh? Likewise, _mister_! What do you think _you're_ doing!? H-hey, what happened to all the soldiers down below!? _Wedge_! Take care of these twerps!" He glanced around as though expecting backup, then paled. "Wedge? I, ah... Well, ah, I seem to be done here, so I'll just be on my... I'm leaving! Move! Move! Move!"

Seifer appeared (which puzzled Squall, as he arrived via the lift) and smacked the gun out of the soldier's hand with his gunblade. "Sorry to crash the party."

"Ah... Ahhh... Ahhhhhh! Prepare for the worst, you brats!" the soldier threatened before attacking.

They were holding their own just fine, though Squall had to wonder why Seifer had bothered to show up if he wanted no part in actually helping them. Another soldier arrived and saluted, seeming to be blind to the ongoing battle, and said, "Major Biggs! Have you finished the repairs, sir? Uh, what... what is the enemy doing here!?"

"_Wedge_! Where were you!? No pay this month!"

Wedge groaned and shambled over, moaning, "Should have stayed home."

_'Are you fighting soldiers or a comedy team?'_

_'This is pathetic,'_ Squall responded when the two soldiers began to bicker in the midst of battle. On the other hand, their weak and easily avoided attacks gave him plenty of time to draw magic for his stocks. _'They're not much of a threat, I suppose, but... And what the hell is Seifer doing—polishing Hyperion?'_

They eventually got serious and knocked Wedge out and began to concentrate on Biggs, but were cheated of their victory when a harsh wind picked up and knocked both soldiers away from them. A second later a flying monstrosity dropped down from above and swiped at them with a massive claw.

"The hell? Hold back and study it first so we know what we're dealing with," he ordered, then attempted to draw. A faint smile flitted across his face as he extracted a Guardian Force while dodging both claws and spells. "Right! This is an opportunity. Stock up and support each other, then we'll take it down!"

An easy battle later they relaxed and checked over their equipment, then Selphie remembered her mission. "Squad B Captain? S'cuse me! I have new orders! All SeeD members and SeeD candidates are to withdraw at 1900 hours. Assemble at the shore!"

"Withdraw?" Seifer objected. "There are still enemies around!"

"I'm just the messenger!" Selphie said chirpily.

"An order to withdraw takes priority," Squall reminded him.

Seifer bashed a nearby strut with the back of his blade and checked his watch. "Damn it! You've got thirty minutes to get to the shore," he said and jumped into the lift. "Better run!" he called as he descended out of sight.

They waited out of necessity for the lift to be available and crowded on, heading down as well, then left the tower at a fast clip, only to jerk to a halt when a huge spider-like machine dropped in front of them and advanced.

"It's a machine, use lightning! If we can short it out we can leave it behind. We don't have time for this!" Squall ordered.

However, the damn thing had some kind of self-repair program and followed their retreat, attempting to ambush them at every opportunity. A quick check of his watch made Squall clench his teeth as he kept running, absently pushing curious Dollet citizens back into the buildings as they passed by. Other squads were being ordered to withdraw, as well, but for some reason the spider was fixated on them.

The beach came into view shortly after, the spider clanking menacingly behind them, and he was relieved to see a single ship remaining, the bay doors open. Quistis appeared at the bow and manned the machine gun there, providing them cover as they raced across the shifting sands. He twisted as he dove into the ship, seeing as the doors were closing the spider explode thanks to the instructor's efforts, then slammed into a wall.

_'You okay?'_

_'I'm fine. Just bruises, I think. I'd have preferred to dismantle the damn thing, just for being so stubborn.'_

Griever chortled in his mind. _'Nothing not easily fixed, then. If you want my opinion, I think you did well. When Seifer was being an ass and slacking in his duties, you took command nicely. Hopefully that will count for something when it comes to your performance being graded.'_

_'Well, I couldn't very well let Zell give orders, and from what I recall, Selphie is way too easily distracted given free reign.'_

_'That might not be the case still, but yes, I agree with your reasoning. Just relax for now. I'm sure we'll be there soon enough.'_

And they were. Thankfully everyone on the ship left him alone until they arrived, but even then he needed no word as he could feel it when they docked at the pier. He hauled himself up and exited in time to see Seifer's posse take position by their leader. Before Squall even reached Quistis the three of them took off, disappearing around the side of the inn.

"Good job!" Quistis praised, then glanced around with a puzzled expression. "Where's Seifer? Well, just be back at Garden by sundown. You're free 'til then. Dismissed!"

It was a long walk back, they having discovered that Seifer and his posse had absconded with their transport. Again, Squall sighed almost imperceptibly and sucked it up, following the road so as to avoid any encounters on the way back.

At the main gate Zell stretched like a cat and laughed. "Finally made it back. Well, I guess we just wait for the test results. See ya, Squall," he said, then jogged through and into Garden proper. Selphie departed a moment later after a similar goodbye.

_'Shall we?'_

_'Let's mosey.'_ Squall headed inside, drifting to a stop near the lobby directory, trying to act casual while eavesdropping on a conversation between the headmaster, Quistis, and Xu.

"Mission complete!" Xu reported with a salute. "I think we did a pretty good job. The candidates are back safely, right?"

Quistis nodded. "Although we didn't realize the Galbadian Army was after the abandoned communication tower..."

"We have received word from the Dollet Dukedom," Cid informed them. "The Galbadian Army has agreed to withdraw as long as the communication array is repaired and the uplink remains operational."

Xu blinked and said, "Well, in any case, Galbadia is out of there. We could've made more money if they'd stayed and caused more trouble."

Not expecting to hear anything else of interest, Squall headed toward the dorms, only to be hailed by Seifer.

"Squall! You hear about the communication tower in Dollet? We would've been heroes if it weren't for that withdrawal order."

"You were only looking for a fight," accused a newly-arrived Quistis, accompanied by Xu.

"My dear instructor, I'm hurt. Those are cruel words for an aspiring student. A mediocre instructor like you will never understand."

"Seifer," Xu chastised, "don't be so stuck on yourself. You'll take all the responsibility for leaving the designated area."

Squall breathed a quiet sigh of relief as Seifer shot back, "Isn't it the captain's duty to take the best possible action?"

"You're the one who doesn't understand, Seifer. You'll never be a SeeD with this attitude. Calling yourself a captain is a joke." Xu shook her head disappointedly and left.

Cid approached in her wake, pausing to speak softly to Quistis, then looked at the blond gunblader. "Seifer. You will be disciplined for your irresponsible behavior. You must follow orders exactly during combat. But I'm not entirely without sympathy for you. I don't want you all to become machines. I want you all to be able to think and act for yourselves. I am—"

"Headmaster Cid," a faculty member interrupted. "You have some business in your office."

"There are so many issues at hand here," Cid responded.

Squall decided to leave, resuming his trek to the dorms, then halted again and backtracked at an announcement for all candidates to report to the second floor hallway. _'I don't get that man sometimes. He says we have to follow orders exactly, but then says he wants us to act and think independently?'_

_'Realistically, he's correct in this matter. You were given clear orders, with very little room for deviation. Thus, Seifer gets penalized despite having been on the right track. If anything, he ought to have sent one of you to alert a SeeD and let them handle it. In another situation, where things might not be so clear cut, the decision he made probably would have been rewarded. It really all depends on your given objective and what actual orders have been laid down.'_

_'I guess,'_ he responded, then changed the subject to a well-worn complaint. _'Those faculty members are creepy. Half the time you don't even know they're there until one of them says something. Ah, speak of the devil.'_

One of the robed figures glided in and brandished a list. "Dincht, Zell," it announced.

"Oh yeah! See ya!!" Zell punched the air and ran off toward the lift.

"Maller, Nida." A dark-haired young man took off, followed by, "Tilmitt, Selphie."

The figure glanced at the list one more time and said, "Leonhart, Squall."

Squall pushed away from the wall, careful to keep his expression blank, and moved to assemble at the lift with the others. They were joined shortly by the faculty representative and escorted up to the headmaster's office.

As they lined up in front of Cid the faculty member said, "These are the four who passed today's exam."

Cid beamed. "First of all, congratulations. However... From now on, as a member of SeeD, you will be dispatched all over the world. We are proud to introduce SeeD, Balamb Garden's mercenary soldiers. SeeD soldiers are combat specialists. _But_... that is only one aspect of SeeD. When the time comes—"

"Headmaster. It's almost time for the meeting. Please make this short." The figure turned toward them and continued, "SeeD is a valuable asset to Garden. Its reputation is solely dependant on each one of you. Handle your missions with care. Is that what you wanted to say, sir? Here are the SeeD rank reports."

Cid looked mildly put out, but accepted the papers, and moved to stand in front of Selphie. Handing the topmost sheet over he murmured something to her that Squall couldn't catch, then repeated those actions with the other two, finally stopping in front of him.

"Finally, a gunblade specialist," Cid murmured happily as he offered the report.

"This ends the SeeD inauguration. Dismissed!" the faculty member practically barked, and gestured toward the lift.

Squall went willingly, eager to get away, though he had to wonder just exactly how much control the headmaster had over the facility if the faculty could act that way. And finally, he could get to his room and change out of that horrible uniform! Along the way he glanced over the report, scoffing at some of the comments, but overall pleased with the results. How could he not be, having passed on the very first try? Also cause for happiness was knowing that he would be getting a salary from thereon in, based on his rank.

Unfortunately, arrival at his room was not a happy thing; Selphie was there, looking mightily pleased with herself. "Hah! Found you! Well, what do you think?" she asked, twirling around. "My SeeD uniform!"

He ignored her after a brief glance, annoyed that he had forgotten he would have to wear one, too, to attend the SeeD Inauguration Ball. Squall changed quickly and emerged from his tiny sleeping space into the common room, fully disgruntled and expecting a bad time to come.

"Heeey! Lookin' good! All right, let's hit that party!" Selphie darted forward and grabbed his arm, then dragged him out.

He found refuge once there in a glass of champagne and a quiet spot at the back. _'Please be over soon,'_ he prayed. _'Think I can slip out now that the fancy speech is over?'_

_'Fat chance,'_ Griever scoffed. _'Don't look now, but you've been spotted.'_

_'Ah, hell.'_

Zell bounced over in a typical display of energy. "Yo! S'up, Squall? Heh heh, I guess we're both SeeDs now, huh? Put it there, man."

Squall had a sip of his champagne.

"Hah, even as a SeeD you're the same. Well, that's just you, I guess. See ya."

The briefly felt relief at Zell's departure was squashed when Selphie raced over after somehow scaring Zell into a retreat. "Squall, hi! Wanna join the Garden Festival committee? You can help out whenever you have time. Please?"

_'She's joking, right? I hate social gatherings.'_

_'Yes, but she wouldn't know that. She only just arrived recently, to take the exam.'_

Not getting an answer right away, Selphie touched a quick finger to her lips and dashed off after a different victim. "S'cuse me! You, right there!"

_'You know, people would have a heart attack if they ever understood about you and I.'_

_'Smiling openly or laughing would do that, I suppose,'_ Griever teased.

_'Like I would,'_ he objected, scanning the room for any other dangers, his sensors blaring as a dark-haired girl in a white dress abruptly interrupted the conversation she was having to stare at him. She smiled winsomely and said something to her companion, then made a beeline for Squall. _'Damn it. Bad Squall, eye contact is bad!'_

He did his best to emulate Shiva, but it had no appreciable effect, as she stopped in front of him and said, "You're the best looking guy here. Dance with me?" After a pregnant pause she continued, "Let me guess, you'll only dance with someone you like? Okay, then, look into my eyes. You're going to like me... You're going to like me... Did it work?"

"No." He looked away and had a sip from his glass.

"Hey, come on, I'm looking for someone. I can't be on the dance floor alone." The girl rudely plucked the glass from his hand, placed it on a nearby table, and grabbed his arm, dragging him away.

Unwilling to make a scene and damage the reputation of SeeD, Squall went along with it, though he refused to look at her as he swept her around the floor. The dance ended soon, thankfully, punctuated by fireworks exploding overhead, which were at least interesting to look at. The girl gave him a smile, then widened her eyes. "I see them!" A second later she darted off, abandoning him.

_'Now's a good time to do a runner,'_ Griever advised.

He was found later on by Quistis, shattering the peace of the otherwise empty balcony. "You really are an excellent student. Even that dance was perfect."

Squall nodded acknowledgement and went back to gazing at the sky. When she failed to leave or say anything else he prompted, "Yes?"

"So you'll dance with someone you don't even know, but you can't stand being around me?"

"Whatever. You're an instructor and I'm your student. It's kind of awkward when you don't say anything."

"That's true. I was like that myself," she murmured. "Oh, I completely forgot. I wonder what's to become of me? I came to give you an order. You and I are to go to the secret area. It's where students meet up and talk after curfew, inside the training center."

"What for?" he asked irritably. "Going to show up to bust people for violating curfew? If that's the case, forget it. Leave that for the disciplinary committee."

She ignored that and said before leaving, "Go get changed and meet me at the training center. This will be my last order."

_'At least it's a valid excuse to duck out, but what the hell is she on about?'_ He left to change, then reported as ordered, meeting up with her in the hallway just outside. And after quizzing him on whether or not he had ever fought a T-Rexuar before, presumably in case they ran into one, she led him around the training center to the supposedly secret area, which happened to be more like a spacious balcony. The people already present scattered as soon as they saw her, leaving the two of them alone.

"I haven't been here for a while," she said as she moved to stand at the paling and grip the edge with her hands. "What time is it?"

"After midnight."

"Oh well. Then I, Quistis Trepe, am no longer an instructor. I'm just a member of SeeD now, like you. Who knows, maybe we'll end up working together."

"Ah."

"Is that all you're going to say?" She seemed offended for some reason.

"If that's what was decided, you have to abide by it," he elaborated.

"They told me," she said haltingly, "that I failed as an instructor. Basically, that I lacked leadership qualities. I was a SeeD by the age of fifteen, got my instructor license at seventeen... It's only been a year since I got it. I wonder where I went wrong. I did my best..." She glanced over at him. "Are you listening?"

_'Like I have a choice?'_ Squall returned the look and said, "Are you done yet? What am I supposed to say about other people's problems?"

"I'm not asking you to say anything. I just want you to listen."

"Then go talk to a wall."

_'That was a little harsh, but she is horribly tenacious.'_

"Aren't there times when you want to share your feelings with someone?" she asked.

_'Yeah, sure, and I do, frequently.'_ But he didn't say that. "I don't want to carry anyone else's burden. I'm surprised you'd think I would."

Quistis sighed and turned toward the door. "No leadership qualities, failed instructor... Perhaps they're right. Let's go. I won't keep you any longer."

They had almost made it to the exit when a female voice screamed for help. As one they rushed toward it, Squall recognizing immediately the girl from earlier, the one who resembled Sis, Ellone. She was backing away from a huge insectoid creature, completely defenseless against it. "Squall!? Quisty!?"

Unable to ignore the plea they leapt in to handle it, quickly finishing off the threat. As they did so two white-clad men rushed in and assisted the girl to her feet. "It is not safe here. Please, let's go."

The girl nodded, they departed, and Squall and Quistis were left to wonder. It became evident that Quistis's memory had suffered no breakthroughs when she said, "Who was that?"

Squall shrugged and headed out, thankful that the girl was fine, and too tired to attempt an investigation at that late hour. Quistis jogged out after him and halted his progress with, "Squall. It's not like everyone can get by on their own, you know?"

He stared as she jogged off down the hall. _'Who says I do?'_

_'That's right, you have me.'_

_'Sadly,'_ he said as he dragged his weary self back toward the dorms, _'I don't think most people would think that counted.'_

_'I'm hardly a figment of your imagination.'_

He chuckled quietly. _'At least if I'm crazy I'm in excellent company.'_ Squall refrained from expressing his wish to actually see Griever, to be able to touch him. It was entirely out of his control, and quite possibly, Griever's as well. Belaboring the point would only serve to depress them both.

Zell caught him before he managed to get to his room, just another obstacle on the way to a night's rest. "Finally! There you are! Where the hell were you? I was lookin' all over the place. We're both members of SeeD now, so we got our own rooms, baby! Your new room's right across the hall from your old one, okay? That's what I was asked to tell you. Man, took me forever!"

Squall nodded and continued on, terribly thrilled that he would have to transfer his belongings before he could call it a day and collapse.

* * *

Posted: 1 April 2008  
Updated:

* * *


	2. Mandatum

**Notes**: This chapter was edited by my cat Shadow. He likes mice. He doesn't like Rinoa.

* * *

— Convergence: 02: Mandatum —

* * *

He was brought to consciousness, not by his alarm, but by the sound of someone pounding on his door. "What!"

"Squall!" Selphie shouted. "It's our first SeeD mission! Looks like we're headed to Timber. Meet by the front gate, hurry!"

He hauled himself out of bed and got dressed, then checked to make sure he had the necessities before heading for the gate. There waiting for him were Selphie, Cid, and one of the faculty.

"One more minute," the faculty member said gratingly.

Squall propped himself up against the wall and stifled a yawn.

Zell arrived a minute later, vaulting over the turnstiles and landing on a hoverboard, which he used to bring him the rest of the distance. "Made it!"

The faculty member turned to Zell. "T-boards are prohibited within Garden. Have you forgotten?"

"Oops, sorry! But this is really cool. It may come in handy on a SeeD mission, someday."

"We'll be the judges of that. Confiscate it," it ordered.

Squall always had wondered exactly what was under those flowing robes and floppy caps, and their voices were curiously androgynous. Another faculty member appeared to snatch the T-board away and left, much to Zell's disappointment.

"All of you are members of SeeD, but... Nevertheless, you're still students at this Garden. Furthermore, because you are SeeDs, you must set an example to all others and abide by Garden's rules. Understood!?"

Cid stepped forward to speak his piece. "Well, about your first mission. You are to go to Timber. There you will be supporting a resistance faction. That is your mission. A member of the faction will contact you at Timber Station."

The faculty member continued, "This person will talk to you and say, 'The forests of Timber sure have changed.' At this time you must reply, 'But the owls are still around.' That is the password."

_'Bloody hell. That sounds positively juvenile.'_

"Just follow the faction's orders," Cid said.

"Uh, just us three?" Zell asked.

"Correct," said the faculty member. "We have agreed to do this mission for very little money. Normally we would never accept such requests, but..."

"Enough talk about that." Cid gestured vaguely. "Well, Squall, you are the squad leader. Use your best judgment based on the situation. Zell and Selphie, you are to support Squall and give your all to carry out the faction's plans."

As the faculty member started the walk back inside Cid sidled up to Squall and said quietly, "Oh, by the way, I have something for you. Take this"—he handed over what looked to be a lamp of sorts—"and see if you can't do something with it, all right? I'm told great rewards can come of solving the mystery it presents."

Squall tucked it away so he could salute, then gestured to the others and made for the main gate. Outside he pulled the lamp back out and examined it with Scan, then arched a brow. "Hmm."

"What is it?"

"If I'm not mistaken," he replied, "I think there's a Guardian Force trapped inside."

"Like a genie in a lamp?"

"Something like that. Care to give it a shot?"

Selphie and Zell exchanged a look, then nodded eagerly.

"Okay. Remember, don't attack until we see how _it_ attacks and what we can draw from it. You're prepped?"

They nodded again, so Squall rubbed the lamp, dropping it and stepping back when something huge emerged in a cloud of thick, dark smoke. Then the creature spoke, its voice scratchy and strained. "Who dares disturb my sleep?" Quite a while later, after blinding the GF and much drawing of magic, they made a concerted effort to subdue it. Squall knew they had succeeded when it said, "Too much sleep... Too weak..."

After that, it was a rather boring trip along the road to Balamb, with Squall junctioning the new GF to see what it was capable of. At the station they paid for their tickets (at a whopping thousand gil each) and boarded the next train for Timber.

"This train is awesome," Selphie burbled in excitement as they pulled out of the station.

"An intercontinental railroad, baby! It even runs through an underwater tunnel to get to Timber. Pretty cool, huh?"

"Sure." It was a train, not a rocket ship. He moved farther inside, into the hallway, to gaze out one of the large windows.

Zell came up beside him and gave him a disappointed look. "Guess you're not interested. By the way, Squall, you have to use your ID to get inside the SeeD cabin."

"I assume they all work the same," he replied evenly.

Zell shrugged and walked over to the panel by the wall, swiping his ID through the reader.

"Confirming... Access granted," said an artificial voice.

"I'm gonna stay here for a while," Selphie said, her attention avidly on the scenery.

"Yo, check it out," Zell said loudly as the cabin door slid open. "This is awesome!"

Squall entered as well, looking around to see a well appointed interior. For long distance travel it would be ideal, with an en suite and multiple beds, even if they were stacked bunks. "I'm glad you're so excited."

"They even have magazines here!" Zell fished one off the table at the end of the long sofa and waved it around. After sitting down he said, "This is pretty damn amazing. It pays to be a member of SeeD! Hey, Squall, y'know anything about Timber?"

"Yes. Timber fell to Galbadian control eighteen years ago and is now under their occupation. Resistance factions fighting to restore the country's original government flourish, though most of them don't seem that effective."

"Wow," Zell said, obviously impressed.

"It's all in the database, and we did cover this in World History," Squall said quietly.

"Yeah, but, you remembered! It's all so dry, man!"

The door slid open to reveal a wan-looking Selphie. "I don't feel so good."

"You should rest if you feel unwell," he advised, wondering if she was subject to motion sickness.

"I'm really sleepy," she said faintly and made for the couch.

"Hey, I don't feel so good, either," Zell said. "Somethin's... wrong?"

Selphie collapsed onto the sofa, unconscious, and Zell began snoring. Squall, meanwhile, clutched at his head as dizziness swept through him. And then things went black.

He woke up an indeterminate time later to the sound of an announcement. "Next stop, Timber. Timber, next stop..."

"Were we... all asleep?" he asked as he slowly hauled himself up from the floor. That had been one really strange dream, a nightmare in his eyes because he had been unable to escape it.

"Maybe someone released some sleeping gas?" Zell suggested. "There's lots of people who resent SeeD."

_'That's not so outrageous an idea,'_ he thought, then said, "Be on your guards."

"Am I missing anything," Selphie said as she checked her supplies. "Anyone hurt?"

"Unless someone found a way to override the door controls, I doubt it," Squall said reasonably.

"What a relief! Everything's cool with me! Hee! I had such a nice dream!"

Squall spared her a disgruntled glance. _'I had a dream, too. It wasn't nice, though. I dreamt I was a moron.'_

"We will be arriving in Timber shortly. For those disembarking, please be sure to have all your belongings," came another announcement.

"But seriously, Sir Laguna was soooo cool!" Selphie burbled.

"Hey!" Zell leapt to his feet. "There was a Laguna in my dream, too! He's a Galbadian soldier, right!?"

"Laguna, Kiros, and Ward..." Since when was it possible to share dreams? He felt a moment of discomfort in the back of his mind, but decided not to question it. "Forget about it for now, it's not like we're in a position to understand what happened. I'll report it to the headmaster once we're back at Garden."

"Let's just concentrate on our first mission!" Selphie enthused, obviously not the least bit bothered by the implications, and quit the cabin, Zell moments behind her.

Squall touched his forehead and sighed. _'I don't know whether to be reassured or not that you were still with me, there.'_

_'Squall?'_

He went on full alert; it was almost unheard of that Griever ever used his name. _'Yes?'_

_'Try not... to be too harsh in your assessments? Those people, they might be real, and you might meet them someday.'_

"Squall!"

He frowned and headed for the door. _'We're talking about this later. You know something.'_

Squall disembarked, immediately spotting a suspicious-looking loiterer on the steps down from the platform. He motioned to his team and descended, pausing when the man oh-so casually lamented, "Oh, the forests of Timber sure have changed!"

"But the owls are still around," he murmured.

"Welcome to Timber, sir. Come with me, sir. Please, please, this way, sir!" the man said expansively, gesturing toward a train car arriving on a different track, then scampered off to meet it.

_'Ooookay.'_ Squall led his team to the train and boarded at the invitation of their contact.

Inside they were treated to the appraising gaze of someone new. "So, you guys are SeeDs?"

Squall nodded, already swamped with misgivings, and planted a hand on one hip. "Squall, the squad leader. This is Zell, and Selphie."

"Nice to meet you. I'm the leader of the Forest Owls, Zone."

"So, let's get on with it. What's the mission?"

"Hey, hey, take it easy there. You've already met Watts, so I guess it's just our princess, then."

"It's the princess's nap time, sir."

"Ah, man. Hey, Squall, sorry, but could you go get her? She's in the last room, up those stairs. Some of the other guys are in the room along the way."

"We were hired to run errands?" he asked coldly. "Well?"

"A-are you angry!?" Zone stuttered.

"Selphie, you're on it," he ordered. To Zone he said, "This is the last time for this kind of thing."

Selphie flitted off up the steps while Zone let out a pained groan and crouched in the corner, clutching his stomach. Selphie returned a few minutes later with a girl in tow, the same one from the SeeD Ball.

"Hey, you're—! You know, from the party? So, does that mean... you're a SeeD?" she asked him.

"Yes. Squall, squad leader. You've met Selphie, and this is Zell."

"Yeeees! SeeD is here!" she squealed, then launched herself forward to hug him.

"Hey," he said, carefully pushing her off him. "Take it easy."

"It's just that I'm so happy! I've been sending requests to Garden forever, but nothing. I'm so glad I spoke to Cid directly! You know Seifer?"

"Yes."

"Well, he's the one who introduced me to Cid. Cid is such a nice man. I really didn't think SeeD would come out to help a measly little group like us. But after explaining our situation to him, Cid gave the go ahead right away! Now that you guys are here we'll be able to carry out all kinds of plans!"

He wondered if the previously rejected requests were due to the faculty members, and had never been seen by Cid in the first place.

"Is _he_ here?"

Squall stared at her, brow furrowed slightly.

"Seifer," she clarified.

"No, he's not a SeeD."

"Oh, okay. Well, I'm Rinoa Heartilly. Very pleased to meet you. SeeD members dance quite well, don't they?"

"It's expected of a SeeD," he replied, wondering what in hell that had to do with anything.

"Oh. So it's work related. That's too bad..." She glanced behind her as a clicking sound became louder, which resolved to be a mixed-breed dog. "That's my partner, Angelo. He's really smart, and helps me a lot! Well, this way!" She headed through the only internal door visible, just to the left of the steps.

"Just stand anywhere you want," Zone said. "This is a full-scale operation. Our resistance, the Forest Owls, will be forever known in the pages of Timber's independence! Exciting, huh? It all started when we got ahold of top secret info from Galbadia."

"I got the info, sir!" Watts chimed in.

"There's a VIP from Galbadia coming to Timber."

"Super V-I-P!!"

"The guy's name is Vinzer Deling, our archenemy and the president of Galbadia!"

"He's a scoundrel!" Watts shouted. "He's a dictator, not a president, sir. Not even popular in Galbadia, sir!"

Squall touched his forehead and struggled to keep his mouth shut. His first official mission, and he was working under the orders of a bunch of whackos.

"President Deling is taking a private train from the Galbadian capital," Rinoa informed them.

Zone continued, "Our plan is to—"

"Blow it to smithereens with a rocket launcher!?" Selphie suggested, appearing entirely too excited about the idea.

"Ah, not quite," Zone said, looking at her a bit strangely.

"So get to the point!" Zell cried. "Just tell us what to do!"

_'Not only lunatic clients, but overemotional and explosion-happy team members. Joy. Way to go on looking professional, on either side.'_

_'Hopefully this'll only be a short mission.'_

"Shall we begin?" Rinoa gestured to a table that took up most of the room, atop which was a scale model. "First, I'll go over the model. The yellow train in the top right is our base. We're riding in it right now. Right next to it is the dummy car. We made it to look just like the president's car, and their train has three cars, the locomotive, followed by the first escort, the president's car, and the second escort."

_'Want to bet she's abysmal with money?'_ he joked to Griever, who laughed in return.

"Once we get to the second escort we begin the mission. Our ultimate goal is to seize the president in the red car using our base. That means, we'll have to switch our dummy car with the president's car. We'll use two switch points leading up to Timber to carry out this operation. All in all, it should take seven steps. One, we'll get on the roof of the second escort by jumping from our dummy car."

She moved the cars around to demonstrate as she explained. "Two, we'll proceed across to get to the president's car, avoiding the sensors, which I'll talk about in just a minute. Three, we'll proceed across the president's car. Deling hates the company of his guards and being surrounded by sensors, and keeps them away from his car. Four, we'll uncouple the president's car from the first escort. We have to do this before we reach the first switch point. If we don't..."

"Boom! Game over, right?" Selphie asked.

"Yeah. So we'll have to move fast. I'll explain the uncoupling process in just a minute. Now, five, our dummy car and base will move into place. At this point our train and their train will be linked and moving together. Six, we uncouple the second escort. And seven, we escape with the president's car and our base car.

"If all goes well, we'll return to our base and prepare to confront Deling. We have exactly five minutes to complete the seven procedures. If we fail our train will collide with theirs at the switch point and it'll be all over."

"Five minutes?" questioned Zell. "You sure that's enough?"

Zone responded, "According to the simulation we ran it should only take three minutes to complete the operation. Piece of cake for SeeDs, right?"

"Of course," Selphie agreed. "Too easy!"

_'Ah, youth,'_ commented Griever dryly.

"Okay, let's talk about the sensors," said Rinoa. "Watts?"

Squall let the explanations wash over him, taking in run for red, stop for blue, and further along through Rinoa's spiel on how to force the uncoupling of moving cars. She volunteered him to be the one to enter the codes for that, but somehow, that wasn't really surprising. He could only hope the information was solid, and not a red herring. Rinoa finished up by saying, "Don't forget, in the real thing there's a strict time limit leading up to the switch points. And... that's it."

"By the way," Selphie said, eyeing the table, "this model's nice, but the president's car looks kinda shabby. Why is that?"

"Yeah, Rinoa made it," Watts supplied. "That's why. We bought everything else at the gift store."

"Oh, I thought some kid made it," Zell said. "The paint job sucks, too."

And while Squall had to agree with their comments, he sighed over the fact that they were irrelevant and rude.

"Oh, shut up! I made it to look like that on purpose. It represents my hatred toward Deling."

"Hatred, eh? Yeah... right."

"It's one of the... ugliest things that I've ever seen in my life," Selphie added. "You must _really_ hate him."

"Are you guys finished? Enough about the model! Are we clear on the plan? Yes? Then let's decide on the party!"

"Gathering information is my specialty, sir!" Watts snapped out before fleeing.

Zone chose that moment to crouch in the corner, groaning and holding his stomach. Were it not for the fact that his actions were comically exaggerated, one might think he suffered from ulcers.

"Oh," Rinoa said, looking not the least bit surprised, "we're moving, so I'll go take a look. Come on out when you're ready to go."

Watts was waiting outside and immediately asked, "Are you ready, sir?"

"Yes."

Rinoa reappeared and clapped. "Let's go! We're just about there!"

A very long three and a half minutes later they were crouched on top of the base car, speeding away with the president's car in tow, splitting away from the other train as they followed separate tracks. A quick trip down a bolted-on ladder provided access back into the base car.

"Finally," Zone exalted."We've waited so long for this encounter with Vinzer."

"That was amazing, sir! You're the best, sir!" Watts added.

"Well—"

"Leave the intelligence to me, sir!" Watts said and disappeared.

Zone staggered off clutching his stomach and groaning.

Rinoa planted her hands on her hips. After a brief pause she said, "You three! Tell me when you're ready to go, and then we can begin 'serious negotiations' with the president!"

_'Serious negotiations... out of this bunch?'_ He waited for nods from his two teammates, then faced Rinoa. "We're ready."

Into the president's car they went, Rinoa in the lead. "President Deling! As long as you... don't resist, you won't get hurt."

"And if I do resist?" came a reply. "What would you do? Young lady?"

Rinoa gasped for no reason Squall could discern. Well, aside from the president inconveniently failing to cooperate with her. "What is it?" he asked in a low voice.

"Boo-hoo," the man said mockingly. "Too bad... I'm not the president. I'm what they call... a body double." He got up and turned, then approached Rinoa. "All those rumors about the many resistance groups in Timber. You pass along a little false information and they fall for it. How pathetic. Seems like there are only amateurs around here."

"Ama—teurs!?"

The double stepped backward, his movements strangely uncoordinated. "Ah... All this sitting... Young lady, ah, so what did you have in store for me had I resisted?" he asked, voice jerking around in pitch. "Why don't you tell me. Quite amusing, though... for being such amateurs! How dare you insult the president!" And with that he attacked.

They had barely done any real damage when the man transformed into something else entirely.

"What the...?" Squall quickly scanned it, then informed them, "It's undead."

Selphie responded by hitting it with a phoenix down and that was that.

Squall looked at Rinoa and arched a brow, then led his people back to the base car. Rinoa swept by and through the door into the meeting room, so they followed.

"Man, I can't believe the president was a fake!" Zone said.

"_I_ can't believe we fell for it!" Rinoa added.

"Info, sir! New info! It's big news! I found out the real reason why the president's here, sir! The president's going to the TV station! Security's super tight, sir!"

"The TV station? Why in Timber?" Rinoa mused. "They can broadcast just as easily from Galbadia."

Selphie turned to Squall. "Do you think the Dollet communication tower has any connection?"

"What's that?" Zone inquired.

"Dollet has a communication tower that can transmit and receive radio waves. It had been abandoned for a long time, but the Galbadian Army got it up and running yesterday," he supplied.

"Oh, I get it," Zone replied. "The only TV station that can handle broadcasts over the air is in Timber. Other stations use HD cable, which only supports online broadcasting."

Rinoa asked, "So, what's that supposed to mean?"

"They're planning on using radio waves. This way they can transmit to regions without cable."

"I know that! What I mean is, what is the president going to broadcast!?" she shot back. "Why use radio waves? There must be something they want to say to the whole world, but what can it be?"

"Everybody!" Selphie exclaimed. "Love! And peace!"

Squall sighed as the others gave her an odd look, then Zone said, "If I remember correctly, radio waves haven't been used in seventeen years."

"It's been that long?" Rinoa asked. "Wouldn't it be wonderful if the first broadcast could be the declaration of Timber's independence!?"

"Hey, that might be possible!"

"Let's come up with a plan, then!" She and the other two went into a huddle, Rinoa saying over her shoulder, "Can you guys give us a minute?"

_'This is a nightmare. What the hell were we hired for, then, exactly? These people are a joke. It's no wonder their requests were always rejected in the past. The stench of naïvety is overwhelming.'_

_'I think... maybe you should ask to see the contract?'_

_'Yeah. What horrors await.'_ Squall pulled away from the window and approached Rinoa, who seemed to be in charge despite Zone having claimed to be the leader.

"Oh, good timing!" she responded chirpily. "We've come up with a plan!"

"Before we get into that, can I see your contract with our Garden?"

"Oh, sure." She fetched out a contract and handed it over.

He scanned the contents, trying to decipher the legalese, and trying to ignore Zell's complaints about _his_ lack of comprehension. His view was obstructed when a second sheet covered the first, so he started over.

_To the Forest Owls,_

_This SeeD deployment contract will last until Timber  
achieves independence. Please make good use of each  
SeeD member._

_I wish you the best with your objective. Please under-  
stand that this contract is an exception, and no replace-  
ment of any SeeD members can be made._

_Balamb Garden Headmaster Cid Kramer_

Zell sounded rightfully incredulous when he said, "Until Timber's independence!?"

"That's so vague," Selphie added.

"Hey!" Rinoa flipped her hair back. "You're paid professionals. No complaining! Okay, let's decide on the parties."

Squall zoned out while her cohorts went through their usual routine, tuning back in when Rinoa stated the obvious, and from there they exited the train. Watts was on hand to provide useful information, which was less than useful. "The TV station is quite close if you take the local train, but that and the transcontinental lines have stopped running, sir. Oh, we're here!"

Watts waited until they disembarked before saying, "Say, I remember now, sir! I think the TV station is located behind the old Timber Maniacs building! Please head in that direction, sir!"

Squall nodded and turned away, his gaze alighting on what looked suspiciously like a transmission dish. _'Like that? A map would have been more helpful. How long have these people lived here, anyway? Are they weekend warriors?'_

"Watts!" came from inside the train. "C'mon! The Galbadian Soldiers are comin'!"

"Let's go." He set off as best he could in the direction of that dish after Rinoa merely nodded, cursing Cid in the relative privacy of his own head. How in the name of Hyne could the man have essentially given them an endless task? Were they expected to be fighting for Timber until death or old age?

_'Try not to think about it for now,'_ Griever advised. _'Worst case, you quit SeeD and find a home elsewhere. And besides, unless you become an instructor, you'd leave Garden at twenty anyway. As it is, it seems like Galbadia is gearing up for something big, and that might mean a world war. There's something very wrong about all of this, and that contract is just the start of it.'_

He worried that over until he led them down a curved staircase, one that led to several buildings right in front of what could be seen of the station. Two soldiers were there, gloating over having bullied one of the locals. They shut up abruptly once they spotted Squall's team and attacked, but were quickly beaten.

"Eh? What's this?" Selphie crouched down long enough to score a Triple Triad card.

"Whatever." He led them inside the bar right before them, to be treated to the rantings of a drunk propped up in front of a door at the back.

"Had enough of this city! Came from Dollet to have me a good time. And now... trains no longer running. Can't even stay in a hotel because of some stupid official! Harassed, my precious card stolen... S'not my day. Stupid town, stupid resistance trying to kidnap the president, stopping the trains... Soldiers everywhere... all because of them! Don't they understand I'm the one suffering from their reckless actions? Stupid, boneheaded, good for nothing resistance! You can just kiss my—"

"Hey!" One of the people seated at an actual table jumped up. "You don't understand anything! The resistance is fighting for Timber's future! They're doing the best they can. It's the Galbadian soldiers and their leader who are at fault!"

"Pshhh," the drunk said rudely.

Squall thought about what the man had said, then turned to Selphie. "That card? Hand it over." Once he had it he approached the drunk and crouched down. "This yours?"

The man took a bleary look at it and brightened. "Hey, punk, you're all right. That's the one, but you can keep it. And hey, this too..."

Squall accepted a different card and tucked both in his pocket.

"Hey, owner. I can't stand up. Can ya help me?"

A short time later they were able to exit via the unblocked door, and ended up in a narrow alley. Squall headed the only way he could, and was quickly in an area that contained a series of metal staircases leading up. Part way up Selphie squealed.

"Heeey, an outdoor TV!"

"This is creepy," Rinoa said. "What is that?"

Squall paused to take a look, then explained what he thought was obvious. "It's noise, broadcast over most of the frequencies. Something would have to be done about this before they could broadcast over the air." He squinted, not quite believing what he thought he was seeing, words flashing in the static.

_'No, I see them, too. Words, sentences.'_

_'I'm alive. Bring me back there. I'll never let you forget me.'_

_'Sounds almost like a bad romance novel, or soap opera,'_ Griever commented. _'I wonder...'_

He was broken from his study by Watts dashing up the steps. "The president's in the studio now, sir. Too many guards now, so we won't be able to storm the place, sir!" he reported, then dashed off again.

"So, we can't just rush in..." Rinoa mused. "We've gotta come up with a new plan now! If the president leaves, maybe the guards will be gone, too? That's when we do _our_ broadcast. It might not be as influential, but it's better than nothing, right? We don't stand a chance if we take them head on, correct?"

Biting his tongue against reflex, Squall said, "Don't worry about us. We'll fight your enemies based on your decision. That's our duty."

Zell added, "You tell us to go, we go. Even if it is a losing battle."

"How sad. Act on my decision? That's your duty? Oh, what an easy life it must be, just to follow orders."

He would have to visit a dentist if this kept up. "Call it what you want. All _we_ want is for you to achieve your goal using our help."

Evidence of his skepticism must have showed in his expression, for Rinoa said, "What? If you have something to say, just say it!"

"All right. How serious are you? Really. The three of you plop down on the floor to discuss strategy? On top of that, you can't seem to make a decision without our input now, so what do you plan to do in there? What sort of speech are you going to make for the world to hear—that Timber is free? Do you believe that by doing so, Galbadia will just pull back like the word is gospel? How do you think we feel, working for such an organization?"

Rinoa stared at him, fists clenched and eyes shiny. "You know, maybe this was all just a big mistake. I thought everything would work out fine once SeeD came to help us. But, I guess it's not that easy. You were all hired. It's not like you're one of us." She blinked and looked away. "Um, let's see... We'll cancel the plan, and we'll disperse for now. We don't stand a chance if take them head on, right? So... you guys probably think this is all a game to us. Well it's not! We're serious. So serious... it hurts." She whipped around and fled down the stairs, back toward the alley.

_'Do you suppose that nickname of hers goes deeper than just the obvious?'_ Griever asked quietly. _'The spunky, naïve girl from a privileged background rebels against the corruption she suddenly sees, drawing together a band of misfits to do battle in the name of freedom...'_

Squall suppressed a smile. _'Thanks. I think I might go crazy without you.'_

_'The people you keep meeting up with seem to be entirely too excitable. And I don't know, I think everyone is a little bit crazy. You must be, to put up with me.'_

He paused at that, then smirked internally. _'Stop fishing for compliments.'_

_'I would never. Hm, let me see...'_ After a short pause Griever said, _'Oh my. Would you prefer to be surprised, or shall I ease you into this?'_

Squall bit the inside of his cheek in contemplation. _'I'm not going to like whatever it is, I suppose?'_

_'I'm not actually sure. Here's a hint, though. You've 'met' Rinoa's mother just recently.'_

He felt no guilt at the mental exercise seeing as how their client had fled after ordering them to disperse. Until she showed up again, they had all the free time in the world. Speaking of which... _'Rinoa... Heartilly? As in Julia Heartilly?'_

_'Give the man a free weapon upgrade! Mother and daughter, though it seems Julia died when Rinoa was five years old.'_

_'So is that Laguna fellow her father?'_

He was mildly surprised when Griever sounded like he was choking. _'Ah, no. Her father does give rise to the princess nickname, though, in an oblique way.'_

"Heeey! Are they starting?"

He reluctantly focused on the screen again as the static cleared up entirely, revealing several people in plain uniforms moving around in the revealed room. A sharply-dressed man entered from the side and walked to the podium. "Testing... one... two... testing... testing... Oooh! People of the world! Can you see me!? Oh, this is incredible! Ladies and gentlemen, this is not a recording! This is an actual broadcast over the air! Yes, it's been seventeen years since a live broadcast has been possible! Oh, please excuse me, I seem to have lost my composure. We would like to present to you today a message from lifelong president of Galbadia, Vinzer Deling. Ladies and gentlemen, President Deling."

The announcer stepped away to allow for the president and disappeared back off-screen.

"Greetings, I am Vinzer Deling, lifelong president of Galbadia. Today I stand before you to make the following proposition. We, the people of the world, have the power to end all wars."

"See, see!" Selphie yelled. "It's a peace proposal to the world. I knew it!"

"Unfortunately," Deling continued, "there are some trifling problems standing between Galbadia and other nations, and they must be resolved. I plan to convene with other nations' leaders immediately to resolve those problems. At this time, allow me to introduce the ambassador who will be my representative for the conference."

"Man! All this just to introduce an ambassador," Zell commented.

"The ambassador is the Sorceress..." Deling trailed off as something distracted him.

"Sorceress?" Squall mused. He was shocked when Seifer, of all people, appeared on the screen, easily knocking out the soldiers attempting to restrain him as he made for Deling. The camera was knocked on its side during the scuffle, and next to appear was Quistis, who stared in dismay at the sight of Seifer holding the president hostage, the edge of his blade sharp against the man's neck.

Selphie and Zell set up a questioning clamor as more guards appeared to menace Seifer. "Stay back!" Quistis warned.

"Squall," Zell asked him seriously, "what are we gonna do?"

"For the last time, stay back!" Quistis cried. "You're only going to provoke him."

Squall was silent for a moment, then said, "We do nothing. Our mission is to assist the Owls."

Quistis glanced toward the camera. "Timber Team, are you watching? Get over here right now! You _have_ permission! I need your help!"

He nodded and said, "Let's go," then ran up the stairs. The walkway was blessedly free of any guards or soldiers, so they made good time into the studio.

"We need to restrain him!" Quistis said.

Squall took a few steps toward his sparring partner. "What do you think you're doing?"

"It's obvious, ain't it? What are you planning to do with this guy?"

"Planning to do...?" _'He's here because of Rinoa?'_

"I get it!" Zell said. "You're Rinoa's—"

"Shut your damn mouth, chicken-wuss!"

"He broke out of the disciplinary room, injuring many in the process," Quistis told them.

Squall thought that was too much information during what was still a live broadcast.

"You stupid idiot!" Zell bellowed.

"Be quiet," he ordered.

"Instructor, I know! You're going to take this stupid idiot back to Garden, right!?"

"Shut up! _No_!" But it was pointless to even bother.

"I see," said Deling. "So you're all from Garden. Should anything happen to me, the entire Galbadian military will undoubtedly crush Garden. You can let go of me now."

"Nice going, chicken-wuss! You and your big mouth! Take care of this mess, will ya?" He backed out of the room, blade still at Deling's throat, and Quistis followed with utmost care.

Squall stepped over and slashed his blade through a veritable thicket of cabling, hoping to get them off the air, then said, "From now on 'be quiet' means be quiet. Got it?"

The blond hung his head, evidently ashamed.

"We follow," he ordered and did so, arriving in a small circular room a short time later. He barely had time to notice that Quistis was frozen in place when he was as well, and got the barest glimpse of Seifer disappearing with what he assumed must be the sorceress.

A minute later they were released from their invisible bonds, and Quistis made a beeline for the spot where Seifer had last stood to examine it carefully. Rinoa rushed in, cause for Squall to bite back a groan and consider early retirement.

"Hey, guys! Where's Seifer?"

Quistis shrugged, so Squall answered, "We don't know."

"He'll be okay... right?"

No one seemed to want to answer that. After a fruitless investigation of the room, they left, pausing in front of the outdoor screen when Rinoa sighed and said, "They found our base. It's completely destroyed."

"And everyone else?" Selphie asked.

"They're fine. They're good at escaping. We have to get away from Timber for a while. Is there a safe place you can take me? This is an order, an order from your client, remember?"

"Whatever." He continued on down the stairs and into the alley, holding the door open so everyone could file into the bar.

One of the bartenders looked up at their arrival. "Rinoa! I heard your base is in serious trouble. Come over to my place until things settle down."

"I appreciate it, thank you."

"What are you waiting for, Squall?" Quistis prodded unnecessarily. "Come on!"

"I'll show you," Rinoa said, taking the lead on the way out of the bar. "It's this way!" She only went a short distance, pausing in front of a house next to a building with a Timber Maniacs sign. "This is it," she added, then pulled open the door and headed in.

The woman who had accompanied them said, once they were all inside, "I'll let you know if anything changes. 'Til then, make yourselves at home."

"Thanks, chief," Rinoa said as the woman made to depart.

Squall eyed Rinoa. "Chief?"

"She's the leader of the Forest Fox. Almost everyone's a resistance member in this town. But right now, we're the only ones that are really active. Let's stay for a while."

"I don't get it," Selphie said. "What did Seifer come here for?"

"I think," offered Rinoa, "he came to help us, the Forest Owls. I talked about it a lot with him. So please, don't think too badly of him."

Loud knocking sounded at the door, along with, "Anybody in here!?"

"What is this!?" a woman walking down the stairs shouted back. "I have two small children in here. Don't do anything to frighten them!" She looked at the group and hissed, "Upstairs, hurry!"

The regrouped in a sitting room, choosing places to sit or walls to prop themselves against. Quistis sighed and restarted the conversation. "He was so angry when he found out it was only the three of you dispatched to Timber. 'What!? They might end up fighting the whole Galbadian force! And all they dispatch are three rookie SeeD members!? Damn it! I'm going to Timber!' I never would have guessed he was serious about it." She threw her hands up in the air. "What's going to happen to him?"

_'Seifer is always serious, and she'd know that if she spent more time really observing, and less time prodding people for reactions.'_ "He may already be dead."

Rinoa rounded on him in a huff. "How can you be so casual? I feel... sorry for him."

_'Even I know better than to feel pity for Seifer,'_ Griever said scornfully, provoking the barest hint of a smile out of Squall.

"What's so funny!? You're terrible!" Rinoa paused, dropping her gaze. "So... why do you think Seifer may already be dead?"

"The president of Galbadia and the sorceress joined forces, and Seifer attacked the president. It's no surprise that Seifer may have been killed because of it," he explained patiently.

"Even so! I still hope he's alive."

_'Let me guess, she used to date him.'_

"Reality doesn't conform so nicely to wishes and dreams."

Rinoa's gaze flew back to him. "You're mean! Cruel!"

_'No, I just don't live in your fantasy world. And false hope is more cruel than I could ever be.'_

Footsteps alerted them to an arrival, and Squall glanced over to see the 'Chief' entering the room. "The Galbadian forces are withdrawing. Only the soldiers normally stationed here will remain. If you're going to leave town, now's your chance. You know how persistent those soldiers can be." She turned and retreated back down the stairs.

Squall pushed away from his section of the wall and followed her, expecting the others would, too.

"Squall, any thought on where to go?" Quistis asked, her expression expectant. "Garden code..."

He considered that, mentally reviewing the code they all had to memorize, then nodded. "We head for the nearest Garden, which should be Galbadia."

"Very good!" Quistis praised.

"We can take the train from here and get off at East Academy station," Rinoa offered.

"And from there," Quistis added, "we go through the forest west of the station. I've been to Galbadia Garden several times. We should be okay."

"All right. Everyone, check your supplies and preparations. Then we'll head out."

A short time later they had made their way to the station hub, where Squall spotted a suspiciously familiar individual, who brightened on seeing them.

"Hssst! Rinoa! Squall! It's me!"

"Zone!"

"You need to go to East Academy, right? There's no more tickets left; a lot of people are leaving. _But_, I managed to get tickets for everyone." He glanced at Quistis. "Even you. Here," he said, handing them out.

"You're... not coming?" Rinoa asked incredulously.

Zone shook his head. "I can't leave Watts by himself, and there were only so many tickets I could get. We'll be fine! Just get going! The train's leaving soon."

"Zone... We're gonna see each other again, okay?" Rinoa said passionately. "No matter what, you have to survive. We have to liberate Timber together, remember?"

"I know, I know. Now get going, before you can't." He groaned and clutched his stomach again, then staggered off.

Rinoa sighed and slouched into the station, leading them to the appropriate train.

_'What about the other members of the Forest Owls? It wasn't just those three.'_

_'That's borrowing trouble to even think about,'_ Griever replied.

_'Then she personally _must_ have some connections if Zone arranged for just her to leave. She might be ransomable... or maybe they'd just like a break from her.'_

A series of chimes sounded followed by, "This train is bound for Dollet, stopping at East Academy. This is the last train for today. We will be departing in one minute."

Squall propped himself against a wall as Selphie bounced into the hallway so she could indulge in her desire to watch the scenery fly by. Zell followed her, and Squall could see that he entered one of the compartments. Quistis seemed indecisive for several moments, then shrugged and joined Zell, taking Rinoa with her, probably to learn more about the girl.

_'I should never have gotten out of bed this morning. I know I'm whining, but this whole mission is a nightmare. Liberate Timber!? What are we supposed to do, waltz up to Deling and ask nicely for him to return Timber to its rightful government? And then there's that sorceress to be worried about. Rinoa is essentially asking for a war, with Galbadia the loser.'_

_'I doubt she understands that. She had to have been watching the broadcast in order to have known to come back, but I don't think she comprehends the implications of what she witnessed. She's focused on the minutiae, to the exclusion of the larger picture.'_

_'I just don't get why Cid agreed to her request. I also wonder why Nida was left out of this. He passed, too. Maybe it's just a coincidence that we three were all at the orphanage?'_

_'Nida might have skills better suited for other things,'_ Griever pointed out. _'He may be a SeeD, but his specialty...'_

_'Hn, good point. It's still bugging me, though. Why radio broadcasts?'_ He sensed hesitation on the part of Griever, firing his curiosity. _'And what was with those words?'_

_'It is true that monsters frequently break the HD cables, cutting off parts of the world. Radio wave broadcast would be the only way to reach everyone, but that assumes the average person's equipment is even set up to accept, decode, and display them. It's been seventeen years.'_

Memories of accessing the Garden database surfaced, along with his history lessons. _'Seventeen years since radio stopped working, since Esthar abruptly closed its borders and ended the war with Galbadia. _They_ had a sorceress leading them then. Galbadia has one now. A connection?'_

He cursed the break in his line of thought as the train began to slow and a voice announced, "This stop, East Academy. Passengers leaving the train please check to make sure you have all your belongings. This stop, East Academy, with continuing service to Dollet."

The others filed out to join him, and they disembarked as soon as the external door opened. Squall got his bearings thanks to the handy compass in his watch and faced west, spotting the forest they were bound for. "Right."

Once within its cool interior Quistis said, "We're not too far now from Galbadia Garden."

Selphie adopted a thoughtful look. "Heeey, I was just thinking... There might be some bad news from the Galbadian government. What if we get caught and then get broadcast to the whole world..!?"

"Whatever happens, happens, baby! Now come on! Let's just keep going! I—I'm worried about Balamb Garden. If anything happens to Garden, then it's all my fault. I'm the one with the big mouth, who said we were all from Garden. Do... do you think the president will retaliate on Garden?"

"It's possible," Squall said.

"Figures... But, we have a whole bunch of SeeDs at Balamb Garden! They won't lose to the Galbadian army... would they?"

Squall gave him a steady look. "That would depend on how large a force and how well trained they are."

"I know, but..."

"Oh," Rinoa said scathingly, "you're just a great leader, aren't you. Do you actually have fun acting so callously toward your comrades?"

_'Not again.'_

"Zell wants your support."

_'Duh. And the award for Captain Obvious goes to...'_

"Any kind of encouragement will make—don't you ever worry about or even think about the well-being of your comrades!? Don't you understand!? Are you even listening?"

He was prevented from telling her exactly what he thought when that awful dizziness returned, causing him to clutch his head. _'Not again, not another one. Not in the middle of a damn forest!'_

He woke up some time later from the enforced dream, thankful that the reasonably soft ground had cushioned his fall. Zell was darting back and forth, checking on each of them as they awoke.

"Was it Laguna again?"

"Sir Laguna's in _big trouble_!" Selphie answered. "I hope he'll be okay."

"This... doesn't seem like the first time for you all," Quistis said slowly. "What was that?"

Squall stood up and shrugged. "It's not something we have any way of understanding right now. Let's not waste time, and keep going."

"Yeah, let's go!" Zell enthused, back to his normal self.

"Um, Squall?" Rinoa looked puzzled, and a shade guilty. "I think I may have said too much. I'm sorry."

He took a deep breath, trying to decide if a confrontation was wise, especially after he had just ordered them to keep going. He shook his head. "Whatever. Let's go."

Galbadia Garden was different, that was for sure. Oh, it wasn't the colour, red to Balamb's blue, but rather the sight of students flying through the air thanks to some mechanical devices he had never before seen. Jet packs, he decided. The gate inside was almost a carbon copy of the one at Balamb, the turnstiles set up exactly the same way. He suspected, though, that the interior layout would be vastly different, based on the view of it from outside.

"Sure is quiet," Zell commented.

"I like it," he responded.

For some reason that made Rinoa giggle. He mentally shrugged it off as Quistis said, "Could you leave this one up to me? I've been here several times, and I know the headmaster pretty well. I'll go and explain our situation."

Squall headed deeper inside, gazing curiously at the structure, and the people that inhabited it. _'I never really thought about it before, but is Balamb the premiere Garden? It seems like Rinoa should have requested help from this one, not Balamb. We're mercenaries, supposed to be independent of any government. I get why we ended up with the Dollet mission—there were candidates to be tested, but...'_

_'Balamb Garden was the first established, as you know, and is the only one to administer the SeeD exam. Those who wish to become SeeD must transfer if not already there, while those who do not can still graduate and find high placement in various militia due to their training. Rinoa may have tried here for help and was turned away, then decided to try for SeeD instead. Seifer may be the only reason she eventually got a foot in the door at Balamb.'_

_'Yeah. I've heard they don't train with GFs here, either.'_

_'That's because of the potential memory loss.'_

_'Which I don't suffer, in part thanks to you.'_ He glanced up on hearing an announcement requesting them to report to the second floor reception room, and searched out the nearest stairs to comply. Once inside he propped himself against a handy wall. Quistis walked in less than a minute later, so he asked her, "How'd it go?"

"They understand our situation. And, Balamb Garden is safe. The attack on the president in Timber was classified as an independent action. There was an official notice from the Galbadian government saying that Balamb Garden is not being held responsible."

"So, Seifer's taking all the blame?" Zell asked.

Quistis nodded, almost regretfully. "The trial's over, and the sentence has been carried out."

"He was... executed?" Rinoa whispered. "Of course he was. He attacked the president. He sacrificed himself for the Forest Owls..."

_'Quistis said nothing about an execution.'_

Quistis fixed her gaze on Rinoa and said, "It was your group that got Seifer involved in all this. You're a resistance faction, right? You must have been prepared for the worst. I'm sure Seifer was, too. So don't think of it as Seifer sacrificing himself for you. I'm sorry if that's not much consolation."

Rinoa brought her legs up so her heels could rest on the sofa, and wrapped her arms around her knees. "I... really liked him. He was always full of confidence, smart. Just by talking to him I felt like I could take on the world."

"Your boyfriend?" Selphie inquired.

"I don't really know. I... I think it was love. I wonder how he felt...?"

"Do you still like him?" Selphie persisted.

"If I didn't I wouldn't be talking about it. It was last summer, I was sixteen. Lots of fond memories..."

Selphie turned her attention to Zell. "You really hated Seifer, didn't you?"

"I didn't like the guy, but executed? He was from Garden, one of us. If I can, I wanna get revenge."

"I don't have any good memories of him," Quistis said quietly. "I've seen some troubled children, but he was beyond troubled. Well, he wasn't really a bad guy."

_'We don't even know for sure what the sentence was, and he's already become just a memory to them. Someone to dissect in the past tense, to say whatever they want about him, waffling in their feelings and unable to even speak with conviction.'_

_'If he _is_ dead, well, the living have to find a way to cope. I remember when the headmaster of my school died. I was so torn before then between love and hate, and when he died I was so angry with him. I couldn't say the things I wanted to say, not to him, anyway. So you indulge in futility. It's considered rude to speak ill of the dead, but...'_

_'And so Rinoa wonders if it was love, and Quistis reflects on her perceived failures, while Zell is torn between dislike or even hatred and a sense of... community? Brotherhood?'_

_'Something like that, yes. I wonder, though. Selphie doesn't seem to have any kind of a reaction but curiosity. Trabia doesn't use GFs, either, from what I understood. Was she just too young for the memories to hold, or...?'_

_'I have no idea, but standing around in here seems pointless.'_ He pushed away from the wall.

"Is something wrong, Squall?" Quistis asked.

"I'm going for a walk."

"What?" Rinoa said, dropping her feet to the floor. "Don't you care what's happened to Seifer? Don't you care how your comrades feel? You haven't said a word!"

_'Ah, go for it,'_ Griever prompted with a faint chuckle.

"All right, that's it. You hired SeeD to do a job, then you mock us—me especially—for being exactly what you hired. How dare you sit there, safe in your little fantasy world, and yell in outrage because some of us happen to prefer to deal with reality. You know, things like consequences for our actions? The implications that keep being shoved in our faces? You didn't hire us to sit in a circle and discuss our _feelings_ over cups of hot cocoa, and you sure as hell didn't hire us with the understanding that we'd parrot your feelings about anything and everything.

"You think me cruel, but that's what the world can be, the one you don't seem to be living in. I'm a mercenary, lady, and you're the client. I'm not here to give you chapter and verse on my thoughts about things that don't even concern you, so save it for someone who cares, and let me get on with my job." He stalked out of the room feeling a little bit better, and immediately skipped down the stairs to the ground level with the thought, perhaps, of heading outside to vent his frustration on some hostile creatures.

He barely made it halfway to the exit when a shout halted his progress. A look over his shoulder revealed Raijin on the next level balcony, who quickly ducked out of sight, only to appear a minute later with Fujin in tow.

"What are you doing here?" he asked.

"What am I doin'? I'm a messenger, you know? Brought you a new order from Headmaster Cid."

"Which is?"

"I dunno. Gave it to the head honcho here. Just did what Headmaster Cid wanted, you know?"

Fujin barked, "Explain."

"We were suppose'ta go to Timber. But the trains have all stopped, so we had no other choice but to come here. Kinda relieved to see you guys here."

"Seifer?" Fujin demanded.

"Oh yeah! Wasn't Seifer with you?"

"He was captured and placed on trial. Word is that the sentence has already been enacted. The possibility exists that he's dead, but we don't know that for sure."

"Lies!" Fujin barked.

Raijin, however, burst out laughing. "That's gotta be a lie, you know!? There's no way he'd put up with a trial, you know!? Or an execution for that matter. It's just so not Seifer, you know!?"

"Find!"

"Oh... what? We're gonna meet up with Seifer? Well, see ya, Squall. We're gonna head off to Galbadia to look for Seifer." He waved and took off at a run, Fujin at his side.

Another announcement sounded, this time directing him to the main gate. He arrived there not much before the others, so he assumed the announcement had been for him specifically.

"He should be here soon," Quistis said vaguely.

_'The headmaster?'_

"Oh, is that him?" Rinoa said as a car came into view. "Just pretend I'm a SeeD, too? It'll be less complicated that way."

The car came to a stop and a man got out; the SeeDs quickly formed a line and saluted, Rinoa being a few beats behind.

"Good day. I am Headmaster Martine. I have official orders from Headmaster Cid addressed to you. Following regulations, I have gone over these orders. After careful consideration of our options, we have decided to fully assist and cooperate with Headmaster Cid. Actually, we too have been planning this for quite some time now. In order to stress the importance of this mission, I must first brief you on the current situation. At ease.

"You all know about the sorceress being appointed as the peace ambassador for the Galbadian government. However, this ambassador thing is just a cover up. There will be no peace talks, only threats. The sorceress creates fear among people. Therefore, peace talks are impossible. Galbadia is planning to use fear to negotiate favorable conditions for itself.

"It is clear that Galbadia's ultimate goal is world domination. Garden is no exception, either. It is a fact that the sorceress is planning to use this Garden as her base." He paused briefly. "We have very few options available to us. We entrust world peace, and the future, to you. Details of the mission are enclosed in these official orders." Martine offered them to Squall, then asked, "Any questions?"

Squall took the time to peruse the document, then looked up and said, "The orders say by means of a sniper. We have no one with that skill."

"Don't worry about that," Martine responded. "Let me introduce an elite sharpshooter from Galbadia Garden. Kinneas! Irvine Kinneas!"

Movement caught Squall's attention in his peripheral vision; he turned. A young man who looked to be too attached to old westerns slowly stood up and walked toward them.

"This is Irvine Kinneas," Martine said. "He will be your sharpshooter. Leave whenever you're ready. Failure is not an option." He then returned to his car and drove away as Irvine mock shot at him with a finger.

At such close proximity Squall recognized Irvine from the orphanage, and wondered. Galbadia didn't use GFs, so did Irvine remember?

_'Try to be subtle, hm?'_

Quistis stepped in front of him. "What's our mission?"

Squall took a good look around to see if any 'outsiders' were nearby, then spoke in a low voice. "Our next mission..." He shook his head. "This is no ordinary mission. It's a direct order from both Balamb and Galbadia Gardens. We're to... assassinate the sorceress. We're to shoot her from afar, with Kinneas as the sniper. We're to support him to our fullest, and, should the sniper fail, we are to attack head on."

Irvine tilted his hat back a skosh and said, "Thanks for the support, but I never miss my target."

Squall continued as though he hadn't heard. "We're going to the capital of Galbadia, Deling City. There we'll meet up with General Caraway to go over the details of the plan." He paused and eyed each of them. "None of us has seen decent rest in some time. I want your opinions. Delay a day, or go now?"

He left them to hash it out amongst themselves. True, three of them had been subjected to that dream, but he wasn't sure it counted as real sleep, and Irvine was probably rested enough actually being from Galbadia Garden. Eventually Quistis suggested they make the journey and rest in Deling City, then seek out the general.

"All right. Two teams of three. We'll switch teams between offense and support to keep ourselves fresher during the journey to the station."

Irvine immediately went to stand between Selphie and Rinoa. "How's this?"

As much as he might want to subtly probe Irvine for information, he was just as happy at the idea of having Rinoa out of his personal space for the time being. Quistis was steady in a fight and Zell was actually a very good martial artist. Hopefully Selphie and Irvine could balance out Rinoa's decided lack of battle skill. "Whatever."

Rinoa huffed like she'd just been insulted and latched onto Irvine's arm. "Come on, Mr Kinneas!"

"Call me Irvine! I'm a pretty lucky guy. Hand in hand with two beautiful girls!"

"Irvy Kinnepooo! I'll make you happy!" Selphie burbled.

_'I think I might be ill,'_ Griever said in disgust.

"I think I feel sick," Quistis echoed. "Let's go?"

* * *

Posted: 1 April 2008  
Updated:

* * *


	3. Veneficus

**Notes**: The Muse Recovery Foundation's class on butterfly net maintenance will be held on Caturday at 6.30pm.

Oh, by the way? General Caraway's idiotic test has been changed. The canon version was stupid enough to cause mass self-sporkings, and I'd sooner shoot myself than include that as is. Certain prison scenes were also modified to include something resembling logic, and subtract something called massively false drama.

* * *

— Convergence: 03: Veneficus —

* * *

Squall was happy enough to reach the nearby station and obtain tickets to Deling, then embark the train. A helpful announcement confirmed for those too stupid to be let out without a leash that the train was, shockingly, headed for Deling City, and would be departing shortly.

"This is the only train bound for Deling City anyway," Rinoa commented.

Irvine adjusted his hat again and mused, "Hm, perhaps it's fate?" He headed into the hallway where Selphie had gone.

"So, what do we do about _him_?" Zell asked.

Squall arched a brow questioningly.

"We don't know anything about him. He's obviously a womanizer. What if he's not serious about this mission?"

Squall entered the hallway in time to see the sniper attempting to sweet talk Selphie, but Irvine stopped when he noticed Squall and walked back to the others. Squall turned around, internally shaking his head when Irvine immediately tried the same ploy on Rinoa, who scurried over to Quistis.

"Irvine Kinneas!" Quistis said scoldingly. "You're playing a major role in this mission. Now behave yourself!"

"No one understands me. Sharpshooters are loners by nature. We hone our instincts, pour our whole being into a single bullet. The pressure of the moment, an instant of tension, that's what... I have to face alone. It's not easy. So like, just do me a favor and let me be! You get my drift?"

Zell punched the nearest surface in disgust.

_'Squall.'_

He went on alert again. _'Yes? Are we going to finish that earlier conversation?'_

_'There's something I think I need to warn you about. General Caraway... he's Rinoa's father. Expect some conflict, okay?'_

_'Grand. This is going to be so much fun, I can tell. Now what about earlier, about Laguna? What is it you're afraid to tell me?'_

_'Please don't be angry with me. I did some checking to be sure. I mean, I have resources available to me that you don't.'_

_'I know. And?'_

_'Squall, I think he's your father.'_

_'How...? Those dreams are of the past, then? Okay, I'm not sure I like this, but why tell me now? Why give in?'_

_'I'm really concerned. All of this is snowballing rapidly. Esthar once had a sorceress as their leader, but she disappeared, about the same time as I believe Laguna did. My sources... Damn it, I can't explain that. Look, you might actually meet the man someday, okay? Don't judge him too harshly, not until you know what actually happened.'_

_'Do _you_ know what happened?'_

_'Not really, no. My sources have peculiar limitations, that's the most I can say about them. I can tell you that bizarre place he was in during that last dream is called Lunatic Pandora.'_

_'And it was in Esthar.' _

_"Estharians were there, yes, but that was Centra, not Esthar.'_

_'Ah, okay.'_ He wasn't sure he could understand Griever's insistence, but then he remembered that his friend had lost his own parents at a very young age, among others, though not all had died then. Sometimes circumstances were beyond a person's control, and sometimes people made stupid mistakes, or were forced to make difficult choices.

He swallowed the urge to push further and turned his attention to what Irvine had said earlier, prompting him to walk over to him and murmur, "Follow me."

"Hm?"

"Follow me," he repeated, then headed toward the first cabin, pleased that Irvine actually obeyed. Inside he flipped the lock and turned to face the sniper. "What's fate?"

"Eh? Nothing. I was just lost in thought. It's not like anyone..."

Squall arched a brow. "Recognizes you? Remembers you?"

Irvine's eyes widened in shock. "You—?"

"I do," he confirmed with a nod. "They don't. Despite GF use, I've retained my memories. So what's fate? Us being together again?"

Irvine dropped onto the sofa and tipped his hat back. "Yeah. It was a shock, seeing you all. Well, except for that girl. And none of you seemed to remember. It's a lonely feeling. If you do remember, why haven't you said anything to them?"

Squall shrugged. "I'm not sure, to be honest. It just never seemed that important. I was more concerned with my studies. Just, somewhere along the way they forgot, and it was easier to deal with them as they were. Even so, I have problems believing that it's only GFs to blame. You were all adopted, taken away. It was just Seifer and me left, and we were sent to Garden.

"_He_ might be a victim of GF use, but that doesn't explain how everyone else forgot, unless you simply accept that we were all very young when we were separated. I remember everyone, but even I have difficulty remembering the details. It's all sort of a blur, with just certain experiences sticking out, and I think that's probably the case for anyone trying to remember their early childhood.

"I'm not saying that GFs might not have some bearing, but I don't think they're entirely to blame, either. Like, I went to Garden when I was five, but Quistis didn't arrive at Balamb until she was ten. She didn't remember us, and she's only a year older than I. Take a young child away from what they know, give them a new life, in a new place, with all new people and experiences..." He headed for the door to flip the lock. "Look, I just wanted you to know. You're not alone in your memories, okay?"

"Squall, thanks," Irvine said softly.

He nodded and left the cabin to return to the others. They arrived in Deling a few minutes later and disembarked into a huge station with multiple levels. There were escalators ahead to carry them upward, to the main level of the city, where it seemed like the citizens vied against the night with bright lights everywhere, and neon, and even spotlights that tried to pierce the clouds overhead.

"Let's head for a hotel," he said. "We've delayed rest long enough."

"We can take a bus," Rinoa said. "Come on."

"Sounds like you know this place pretty well," Zell commented as they embarked.

They were shortly there, the same hotel from the dream, and set up with keys, the females taking one room, males the other. Squall took the time to check over his equipment again, and inventory his supplies. "Irvine, do you know if there's an upgrade shop in town?"

"Uh, yeah, there is. Pretty much everything of interest is on this street, so if we need any supplies we can get those, too."

He pulled a card out of his pocket and thumbed the scanner chip on it; a quiet beep later and he was able to double-check his credit balance. "Good. You game for a quick trip?"

"Sure."

"Zell, is there anything you need to get in town before we turn in?"

Zell shook his head. "Nah. I'm gonna go to sleep now."

"Fine." As he and Irvine were walking down the street he said quietly, "You've not taken the SeeD exam."

"Nah, I wasn't sure I wanted to be one. But, I suppose, this might qualify as an incidental exam."

"It doesn't matter either way to me, so long as you can hold your own. In a way, it might be a good thing."

"How so?" Irvine stopped walking.

"You're not from Balamb, so if something goes wrong you can slip away. Also, while it isn't your responsibility, that could also apply to you getting Rinoa to safety. She's not your client, but she does present a complication."

"She told me about that contract, and how she ordered you to take her to a safe place. Pretty lousy timing considering what we're about to take on."

"Yes, exactly. But I won't order you to do that. I don't think I can."

"Nah, it's okay. I understand where you're coming from. If something happens and capture is imminent, I'll do my best to get her and myself out of here."

Squall nodded. "I appreciate it."

Irvine pivoted and pulled open the door behind him. "After you."

A half hour later Squall had an upgraded weapon and they were browsing the other shops for likely purchases. Eventually they returned to the hotel and slept. The next morning they gathered on the street.

"Since we're going to Caraway's mansion we should take bus 08," Rinoa said diffidently.

_'Laguna's from here. Is he still here, I wonder?'_ he thought as they boarded the bus and took the easy way to their destination. They disembarked when Rinoa prompted them and approached the walkway leading to the mansion. _'Caraway is the head of the Galbadian army. Could this be a coup d'etat? No... I don't think he's out to overthrow the president, just deal with the sorceress.'_

A guard halted their progress. "General Caraway's mansion is right through this gate," he informed them. "But... I can't just let you walk in."

"I believe he's been informed of our arrival."

"Yes, indeed, but I was ordered not to let you through until your skills have been tested."

"What the hell's he talking about?" Zell muttered.

"Test our skills?" Squall asked with an arch of his brow. "And just exactly what are we supposed to do?"

"Go to the Tomb of the Unknown King, to the northeast. Once there, you have to bring back proof that you were there. A code number."

"We came all the way out here for some stupid test of courage?" Zell growled. "Who does he think we are?"

"There are many students like yourselves who wish to call on General Caraway. There were two students yesterday who have yet to return, for instance. Your objective is to obtain the code number from the central portion of the tomb. Of course, you may not live through this test, but should you survive, return with the code. Anyway, here's a map for you." The guard extended it for Squall to take. "Though, there are always other options," he said in a suggestive tone.

Squall glanced at the map to help mask his reaction to that. "And is there anything in particular we should know before heading out, or is that a part of the test?"

"Ah, well, you might want to stay above ground, if you catch my drift. You can rent a car if you want to facilitate your journey, as well. That is all I can say."

Squall tucked the map away. "Let's go." He opted not to rent a vehicle, so it took a while to reach the tomb, but they were able to stock a number of spells along the way that they did not already have, either from creatures or refining. They had just stepped within the broken outer wall surrounding the tomb when two girls ran out of the tomb itself, streaking past them. The only intelligible thing he heard was a reference to Float.

_'Those must be the ones from yesterday?'_ Taking in the reaction of those girls and what the guard had said, Squall addressed the others. "Listen up. Check stock on Float and Quake."

"What for?" Selphie asked.

"Think about it. The guard advised us to stay above ground, and those students were saying something about Float. That suggests that something in there has an earth-based attack. We need sufficient stock so we can either keep casting Float, or junction to elemental defense."

Quistis looked gratifyingly impressed for once. The verdict came back that they weren't sufficiently prepared so the team backtracked to do so, returning an hour later, their junctions shifted in anticipation.

The map itself was simplistic, but so was the layout of the tomb. Once inside Squall realized very quickly that it was impossible to go straight to the center, as that 'room' was actually surrounded by a moat and the drawbridge was up, inaccessible from their side. _'Okay, so let's check out the perimeter.'_

He backed up to the first junction and headed right, always choosing right at junctions, and ended up in a mid-sized room. There on a pedestal was a statue of a minotaur. Squall moved to examine it, but stepped back quickly when it came to life and attacked.

It was dispatched, in part thanks to his weapon upgrade and judicious use of Aura, and the creature ran off babbling something about its brother. The pedestal shifted once the minotaur's weight was gone, something Squall took as a potential sign that one step had been taken toward obtaining their goal.

They backtracked, and kept taking right turns, briefly pausing in two other rooms, responding to what was found, such as opening a floodgate and fiddling with a set of controls (which produced a sound... somewhere). Checking his map, Squall saw that the only thing left _was_ the center, so that was where he led them.

Across the lowered drawbridge they went, into the small building, to come face to face with a different minotaur, which also attacked. After a time it was joined by the original, but that was of little consequence. Squall used his gunblade to excellent effect, backed up by Quistis and Zell, and soundly thrashed them. It was then that the minotaurs joined them as the GF Brothers.

_'No wonder why Caraway uses this place as a test. Most Garden students would have no reason to wish to subdue a GF. What would they do with it?'_ he thought as he began searching the room for the code.

_'Which keeps them away from the general. Still, your team should have been an exception. You were sent to Caraway to carry out a mission, not pester him to buy Girl Guide cookies.'_

_'Eh?'_

Griever snorted. _'Sorry, it would take too long to explain.'_

"Found it!" Zell called out. "It's 5-1-9!"

"Good work, Zell. Let's get back to Caraway's, now that we've passed this ridiculous test. At least we gained access to a Guardian Force because of it."

Zell preened at the praise and shadow boxed the air for a few punches before bouncing toward the drawbridge.

Later, after another long walk, they were standing in front of the mansion guard. "Yes?"

"We have your code."

"Ah? All right, then. It is...?"

"5-1-9," he muttered.

The guard checked the back of his rank badge and nodded. "That's correct! Please, right this way." He headed off down the walkway, his pace sedate.

"Um... is my contract... still in effect?"

_'What is it this time?'_

"Don't leave me in this house, okay? Want me to explain why?"

_'There isn't enough time in the world for that, and besides, I already have a good idea.'_ Squall shook his head.

"Okay..."

The guard escorted them into the mansion and ushered them into what looked like an office, then left to return to his post. Squall found a handy wall to lean against while the others took seats. A good ten minutes went by before Rinoa huffed and stood up. "He always does this! So discourteous... making people wait. I'm gonna go complain. Everyone just wait here." She was barely out the door when she ducked back in long enough to say, "Oh, by the way, this is my house, so don't worry."

"The hell?" Zell mused.

Several minutes later a middle-aged man entered the room, presumably General Caraway. He was immediately the target of a question from Quistis. "Where's Rinoa?"

"She has not received the type of training you all have, and may become a burden. It's for the best that she stays out of this operation."

_'Oh, a man after my own heart.' _He could have sworn he heard Griever growl in response and did a mental double take.

"So you're Rinoa's father?" Selphie asked.

"I can't remember the last time she called me that," Caraway answered.

"So, the father's a top military officer, and the daughter's a member of an anti-government resistance faction? That's bad... really bad," Zell said with a grimace.

"Yes, indeed. It's a serious problem, but it doesn't concern you. Besides, we have far more important things to worry about."

Squall pushed away from the wall and directly faced the general. "Even once this mission is complete, we are still contracted to our client. We have no intention of getting embroiled in a family dispute, but you need to understand that."

"And if I choose to interfere?"

_'I can't say that I'd mind, actually, but I am obligated to stand up for our client.'_ Squall arched a brow and replied, "We're all SeeDs here. We'll act accordingly."

"Hey, hey, hey," Irvine said. "Fellas... we're here to knock off the sorceress, right? So let's get down to business."

Caraway said nothing for a minute, then, "Let me explain the plan. Please follow me." He led them back outside the mansion, toward the city. As they walked he began, "I'm sure you know about the Galbadian government reaching an agreement with Sorceress Edea."

_'Edea? Why is that so familiar?'_ He glanced briefly at Irvine to see if there was a reaction.

"There is going to be a ceremony tonight to commemorate the event. It'll be held at the presidential residence." The general said nothing more until they were standing near the gates of a huge building, situated at the top of a T-junction of streets. "During the ceremony you will split up into two teams and get into position. One team will enter the gateway and be on standby. The sniper team will wait right here until the ceremony is over."

Caraway pointed at the huge building nearby. "That's the presidential residence. Once the ceremony ends a parade for the sorceress will begin, which is when the gate will open. Until then lay low. The parade may be cancelled if there's a commotion, and we must avoid that at all costs. Once the gate opens the sniper team can move into position, as the parade should draw the attention of the guards in addition to the crowd.

"The sniper team will head for the roof of the residence. In a corridor by the sorceress's room is a hatch that leads to the clock tower, which houses a carousel clock. You'll find the sniper rifle there, and be on standby until it's time. Now, the sorceress will be riding the parade vehicle. When it leaves the gate the vehicle will turn left and begin a circuitous route around most of the city, eventually coming back up this main strip, under that archway.

"At exactly 20:00 the clock will rise, which will allow the sniper team to act. At the same time, the parade vehicle should be passing through the archway, which is when the gateway team will act, operating a console to drop the gates, trapping the sorceress inside. And then, the sniper team will act. Take the open shot, end the mission. For now, we wait. Until then you're free to do as you wish, just stay out of trouble. When you're ready report to my residence so we can hold a final meeting before we proceed with the operation." The general then took his leave, presumably back to his home.

"All right," Squall said quietly. "If anyone has any last minute preparations to make, do so. There's an upgrade shop in town you might want to check out, on the same street as the hotel, along with other shops. When you're ready assemble outside Caraway's, no later than 18:30. We'll go in as a group. Dismissed." He checked the time and took off in a random direction, quickly becoming aware that Irvine had caught up to him.

"So..."

"Yes?"

"So like, is it true that SeeDs aren't supposed to question their mission?"

"According to Headmaster Cid, we're supposed to be able to think and act independently within the mission parameters, so long as the basic orders are carried out. Why do you ask?"

"So like, if you knew that your enemies were pure evil, you'd get more fired up to fight them, right?"

Squall paused for a moment, shooting a sidelong glance at the sniper. "I'm not sure such an enemy exists. Right and wrong are not what separate us from our enemies. Rather, different viewpoints and different perspectives. For example, what if you were unwittingly about to step on some creature's nest, and the parent attacked you? To you it might seem unprovoked, but to it there's a damn good reason."

Another sidelong look showed that his words seemed to be of no help. "Is this specifically about _this_ mission, Irvine? What is it?"

"I, ah..."

"Is the name Edea familiar to you?" he murmured. "I keep thinking it is to me, but I can't quite place it." He realized after a second that Irvine was no longer beside him; turning he saw that his comrade looked frozen in place.

"If... someone you once knew became evil...?"

Squall furrowed his brow, trying to understand what Irvine was getting at. "Someone you cared about?"

"Yes. Someone who was good."

"Someone _we_ know?"

Irvine nodded faintly.

"I'm not sure how to answer that," he said honestly, wondering who Edea was to them. He had missed seeing her face in Timber by seconds. "If someone I cared about, someone who was good, turned evil, I might be tempted to believe they would be grateful for being stopped. But maybe that's hubris speaking. Who is she?"

"I... I need to confirm it first, okay?"

"All right, but if this is going to be a problem, I _need_ you to tell me," he stressed.

"Yeah."

They began walking again, slowly making their way back to Caraway's mansion, but Squall paused part way there, considering other meanings of the original question. "I question this mission myself."

"Oh? Why?"

"The setup. If all that's necessary is a sniper shot, then why get into such elaborate details? Surely you could snipe from the top of any building along the route, and have an easier escape after the fact. But from within the presidential residence? That's just asking for trouble. It's almost like someone wants us to get caught. And a head on attack if the shot fails? From the top of a clock tower? Yes, the sorceress would be trapped for a while, but..."

"And the other three would be trapped inside the arch with her. Yeah, I see what you mean. But... ultimately, these are our orders. I guess we're not required to like them. Unless you plan on going AWOL? But then, we'd still have a sorceress running around, helping Galbadia vie for world domination."

"And that's not the sort of thing I can ignore. But you're right, I don't have to like it. Not one bit." He started off again, this time not stopping until they reached the mansion. The others were waiting for them, so he went ahead and entered, making for the office where he presumed the general would be.

"Ah, good. It's time to form the teams. The sniper and the leader of this operation will form the sniper team. The leader's role is vital. If the plan fails for some reason, or should the sniper miss, the leader must carry out a direct assault against the sorceress.

"The plan was devised carefully, because we intend this to be a covert operation. But our ultimate goal is to eliminate the sorceress, and we must achieve this at all costs. Even if they uncover our identities. So, who's going to lead the operation?"

Squall arched a brow as every set of eyes landed on him. "I will."

"Fine. Then you need to choose the leader for the gateway team."

Zell immediately started shadow boxing, as though he felt his role was assured. Squall gave an almost imperceptible sigh and said, "In—Quistis, you're in charge."

"Okay," she said as Zell drooped. "Leave it to me."

"Excellent. Let's get you into position, then," Caraway said and quit the room.

They emerged from the mansion and started down the walkway, though for some reason the gateway team was delayed for a minute and didn't catch up until they reached the street. Caraway led them back to the archway and stopped. "Gateway team, you are to drop the gate at 20:00, when the sorceress is passing underneath the arch. The control console is located on the top floor."

Quistis, Zell, and Selphie nodded and disappeared inside, and Caraway turned and headed up the main strip toward the sniper team's first standby position. There he said, "And you two will wait here."

"General," he said quietly, mindful of the many excited people crowding the area, "why has the sorceress decided to have such an extravagant parade?"

"She wants to establish her place in Galbadia Garden, since she's chosen it to serve as her base. Ah, it's starting. I'm returning to my residence. Good luck." He slipped off through the crowd.

_'Well, that was a lovely non-answer.'_

_'Military personnel that high up aren't much different from politicians,'_ Griever observed._ 'I think they take the same classes in semantical obfuscation and dancing around the subject. My headmaster was an expert at it. I wanted to strangle him on a regular basis.'_

Squall snorted in amusement, causing Irvine to look at him funny. A slight shake of his head told Irvine to let it go. He occupied his time by keeping an eye on the crowd, then shifted his attention when the people all looked to the same spot.

"Here she comes," Irvine said.

Squall could see a fantastically-dressed woman emerge onto a balcony of the presidential residence along with Vinzer Deling. He was so caught up in the sorceress's face that he did not notice the other person to appear.

"H-hey... that girl!"

Squall switched focus and squinted. "Rinoa?"

Edea stepped up to the podium and began speaking. "Lowlifes. Shameless filthy wretches. How you celebrate my ascension with such joy. Hailing the very one you have condemned for generations. Have you no shame? What happened to the evil, ruthless sorceress from your fantasies? The cold-blooded tyrant that slaughtered countless men and destroyed many nations? Where is she now? She stands before your very eyes to become your new ruler." She erupted into maniacal laughter as Deling assumed an expression of concerned bewilderment.

"Thats...?"

"A new era has just begun," Edea proclaimed.

"Edea? Are you all right...? Ede—!"

The sorceress stretched out her hand in Deling's direction, effortlessly lifting him off the ground as a purplish haze danced around him. "This is reality. No one can help you. Sit back and enjoy the show."

The crowd cheered as Edea tossed Deling's body away, and she turned back to the microphone on the podium. "Rest assured, you fools, your time will come. This is only the beginning. Let us start a new reign of terror. I will let you live a fantasy beyond your imagination." She stepped back and pivoted, retreating out of sight.

Squall was distracted from even attempting to process what he had just witnessed when two lizard-like creatures parted the crowd like a hot knife through butter, and launched themselves in a high arc to land on the balcony, where Rinoa still stood, seemingly unaware of anything.

"Hey, hey, hey, she's in trouble big time! We've gotta do something."

"The parade hasn't started yet," Squall pointed out. "We have no way inside."

"You've got to be kidding!"

"I'm realistic, Irvine, not heartless. Now be ready! We have no way of knowing _how_ she got in there, so we take what we know is a sure thing, something we need to do anyway."

The gates opened a minute later, allowing for a mass of people in costume to dance out to music coming from Edea's conveyance, which followed not far behind. More dancers trailed the float, but that was not what caught Squall's attention. No, it was the sight of a smirking Seifer at Edea's side, Hyperion tapping against his shoulder.

Irvine tugged at his sleeve. "Now's our chance. Come on!" he hissed, then darted off through the crowd toward the gate.

An exhilarating run later they had made it through and off to the side, finding an area which contained a multitude of stacked crates. Without discussing it they began to climb, eventually coming out on the balcony Edea had been on; Deling's burnt and smoking corpse was sprawled there.

Farther back were the two creatures, closing in on a dead or unconscious Rinoa. Irvine rushed forward, successfully distracting them, and Squall joined him a second later, tossing a phoenix down between them to land on the girl. "Careful now," he said and drew reflexively, surprised and pleased to be able to extract a Guardian Force. "Okay, let's do it."

A short time later both creatures were dead, and Rinoa had recovered enough to cling to his arm when he went to check on her. "I was so scared. Really scared."

"It's over now," he pointed out.

"I was scared. I was really, really scared."

"You are not unused to battles."

"I couldn't... I just couldn't. I couldn't fight alone."

"We need to get going," he said, mindful of the time, and pushed her off his arm.

Rinoa clung to him again, more desperately.

"I haven't forgotten your order. Just stay close to us. We still have a mission to see through." He detached her again and stepped back, waiting for her to stand, then pressed on into the corridor they'd been told about.

Irvine popped the hatch and gestured Rinoa in first, then followed, so Squall took the rear and closed the hatch behind him. Irvine already had the sniper rifle in his hands, so Squall half pushed-half guided Rinoa over to the nearest likely surface and said, "Sit. By the way, Seifer's alive. He was on the parade float with the sorceress."

She blinked slowly before saying, "What does it mean?"

"Who knows," he said with a shrug. "I may end up killing him."

"You're... both prepared, right? That's the kind of world you live in. You've had a lot of emotional training, right? But... of course, I'd rather it not happen."

"That's not up to me," he said, then turned away to check on Irvine. The sniper seemed to be twitching or fidgeting, and Squall thought he understood why. He approached carefully and crouched down. "Hey. Edea is matron, huh? Is that what you were trying to tell me?"

"I... I don't know if I can do this."

"Irvine, I care about matron, same as you. I really don't care that she's a sorceress. But if she's gone crazy, if she's become evil..."

The carousel suddenly kicked into motion, lights coming on and beginning to rise into full view of the crowd. Squall touched his forehead and sighed. "Irvine..."

In plain view from their position the parade float moved under the archway; the second it cleared the back edge the gates dropped, trapping it within.

"Irvine," he said urgently.

"I... I can't, I'm sorry. I can't do it. I can't hurt her."

"Irvine," he said gently. "I understand, I really do, but you need to take that shot. I don't care if you miss, okay? Just shoot. If the matron we knew has become evil, we need to take care of it. Out of anyone, we have the right! It didn't even sound like her! So shoot!"

Irvine nodded and shakily positioned himself, them aimed, paused for a heartbeat, and squeezed the trigger. His aim was true, but the delay had been too long, allowing Edea to recover from any surprise she must have felt. The bullet was absorbed into a barrier that briefly flashed into visibility before her.

"I'm sorry."

"It's okay. Leave the rest up to me. Just be ready with Rinoa to back me up. And, Irvine, remember what I asked of you earlier?"

"Yeah, I'll take care of it."

Squall clapped him on the shoulder and stepped back, then leapt, praying he wouldn't lose his balance as he slid down the sloping roof. He spun in the air once he shot off the edge and prayed a second time that his knees could properly handle the impact with the ground.

This assault was a joke, a nightmare, but he pushed back up and took off down the street, ducking and weaving around people in the crowd, his focus entirely on reaching the sorceress, and hoping he wasn't about to die for a stupid, badly thought out plan. He reached the float after what seemed like years, and pulled himself up onto it.

"Well, this is how it turned out," Seifer said.

"So, you've become the lap dog of a sorceress?" Squall returned.

Seifer smirked and advanced. "I prefer to be called her knight. This has always been my dream." Then he attacked. Part way through the fight Seifer shouted, "Squall, you're mine!" And later, "Thought I was dead, eh? Not until I fulfill my dream!"

Squall simply kept at it, dodging as best he could, and taking advantage of his opponent's weak spots or sloppy defense. He knew he was getting close when Seifer began breathing heavily, and finally, knelt down in defeat.

"You've lost, Seifer, and you're losing it."

Edea stepped forward then. "A SeeD... planted in a run-down Garden," was all she said before she attacked in place of her knight.

Squall had barely begun to defend in order to assess her when Irvine and Rinoa leapt onto the float and moved into place to fight with him. After a long battle consisting of innumerable high-level elemental spells, the three of them appeared to have won.

"Impudent SeeDs!" Edea snarled.

The next thing Squall knew he was flying backward off the float, a massive shard of ice piercing his shoulder. He was unconscious even before he hit the ground.

* * *

_'Squall!'_

He came awake slowly, cautiously opening his eyes. _'Ugh, where am I? I... challenged Edea. My wound...? What happened to matron?'_

_'Squall?'_

_'I'm fine, just kinda tired and—'_ He clutched the frame of the bed he was on when everything began to vibrate. _'The hell? Whatever. I remember seeing Laguna again. He knows Ellone?'_

_'It seems so. Er, that woman...'_

He pulled himself up, having accustomed himself to the sensation of the room moving. _'Raine?'_

_'Yeah.'_

Squall ran the dream through his head quickly, then stiffened. _'My mother?'_

_'You share the same last name.'_

The room stopped moving abruptly, then shifted sideways, nearly throwing Squall off balance. _'Where the hell am I?'_ A few seconds after it stopped again, the door on the side opened and Seifer walked in.

"Squall, you're pitiful," Seifer said, reaching out to pull him off the bed and thrust him into the wall. "Take him away!"

Having hit his head, Squall was disoriented, and did not fight being dragged away by two red-furred creatures he could not put a name to. He was taken to another room where he was hoisted up and attached to one of the walls. From what little he had been able to see, the implications were unpleasant.

"I'm sure you can imagine what happens now," his former sparring partner said.

"What do you want?"

"Tell me what SeeD is. Edea demands to know."

He was understandably confused. "SeeD? Don't you already know?"

"I'm not a SeeD. There must be some kind of secret you're given when you become a SeeD!" Seifer insisted.

Was Seifer...? "There's nothing. Even if there were, you think I'd tell you?"

"You're on my 'tough nut to crack' list," the blond informed him. "Didn't think you'd talk that easily."

Squall thought better of rolling his eyes at the backhanded compliment.

"So here's a little something for you," Seifer continued, then snapped his fingers at a man standing near a console, who immediately pulled a lever.

Squall nearly screamed as pain flooded his body, then relaxed minutely as something, or someone, muffled the sensation.

"Even if you don't talk, others will. The instructor, the little messenger girl, or that chicken-wuss... He wouldn't last three seconds!"

"They're... all here?" he managed to say.

"Oh, you bet. But since I like you so much I thought you should go first. I was hoping you'd be here, Squall. So... how'd I look in my moment of triumph? My childhood dream, fulfilled! I've become the sorceress's knight."

_'Did he know... back then?'_ He concentrated and gasped, "Triumph? I defeated you. Now you're just... a torturer." Everything went black. When he clawed his way to consciousness he was still attached to the wall, and Seifer was still right there, Hyperion tapping on his shoulder.

"Well now, Squall, I'll ask again. What is SeeD? And why do they oppose the sorceress?"

_'He makes it sound like SeeD exists just for that purpose.'_

Another man entered the room and saluted. "Sir Seifer, the missiles targeted for the Garden are ready to launch."

"Excellent," the blond said and waved the man away. "Balamb Garden is to be destroyed on charges of training SeeDs to oppose the sorceress. It's a pity, really. I grew up there, too. But orders are orders, and Edea wants it destroyed."

"What...?"

"After Garden is gone the SeeD hunt will begin. I'll be Edea's bloodhound and hunt down every one of your kind. It'll be fun, Squall. Don't die on me yet." Seifer turned to the man at the console and said, "Continue with the interrogation, warden," then took his leave.

"Ready to talk?" the warden asked, hand on the lever.

"I... don't understand... the question."

"Don't mess with me! Edea says you know something! Now spit it out! Talk! What is SeeD all about!?" the warden shouted, then pulled the lever for emphasis.

Pain exploded through him again, causing him to jerk around uncontrollably, and again, something caused the sensation to be dampened. He thought, somehow, it was Griever.

_'I will _not_ let you die!'_

He trusted that voice, with him for so many years, and fell into darkness.

"Hey!"

"Squall!" It sounded a lot like Zell.

"Wake up!" Selphie?

"Come on, Squall!" Definitely Quistis.

He cracked his eyes open and struggled to sit up. Arrayed around him were his teammates, looking horribly concerned. It was... rather touching, actually.

"You okay!?" Zell asked.

Squall took a deep breath and pushed himself up carefully until he was standing, then did a mental inventory of his body's condition. Perhaps a little shaky, but... "I'm fine."

"Let's get the hell outta here!" Zell replied and held out a gunblade.

Squall took it gratefully, feeling a lot more secure with its weight in his hands. After assuring himself his balance was steady, he nodded and left the room of his torture. _'Thanks.'_

"Did you come here as Laguna in the dream world?" Zell asked curiously.

"No."

"So, Squall doesn't know how to get out, either," Quistis mused.

"Well, either way, we got here by going up and up. Maybe we better head back down?" Zell suggested.

"It'd be a pain to go down every floor. The alarm alerted monsters and security guards everywhere," Quistis pointed out.

"By the way," Zell said, "how the hell did they carry you up here, Squall?"

He glanced off to the side; there was a crane, what he presumed was his cell still attached to it, and just beyond, a huge pit.

Selphie skipped over to examine things, then said, "So, this big hole goes all the way to the bottom? If we jump _all_ the way down, we're outta here?"

"Don't be absurd," Quistis said. "You jump that far, expect to end up squashed like a pancake."

Zell started bouncing excitedly. "Oh yeah! I remember now! We can move this arm by using the panel above and the control room. I remember Ward doing that. But... we need to operate them both at the same time. Someone needs to stay upstairs and control the panel."

Quistis and Selphie promptly stepped up and patted him on the back.

"Me? F-fine... I'll give you instructions from upstairs. Everyone get inside."

Squall frowned. "Hold on."

"What?" Quistis asked.

"If all of us go, Zell is left here alone. If the exit really is down there, he'll have to walk the entire way by himself. That's not something I'm willing to accept. We don't leave a team member unsupported if we can help it."

Quistis gaped for a moment, then nodded. "You're absolutely right. Zell, I'll stay with you. Squall, once you and Selphie get down there, check it out. Let us know if we should follow, or bring you two back up."

"Sounds good." He stalked off into the cell—which turned out not to be one at all. He idly wondered where it had gone, but he had no idea for how long he'd been in that damn room.

A speaker inside crackled. "Yo, can you guys hear me?"

"Hiya, Zell, loud and clear."

"Okay! Press the red button on the panel..."

Squall did so.

"Okay, I'll take care of the rest. There!"

The carrier started moving, first sideways, then down, coming to stop several minutes later. Squall peered out cautiously, then motioned to Selphie and exited. The only thing in sight was a door. "Let's check it out."

Through that there was nothing aside from a huge door which took up the entire wall opposite, which Squall listened against, then opened, leaping back when torrents of sand flooded in. They quickly retreated back through the first door and closed it.

"Are we buried?" Selphie mused. "Underground? Well, we can't—" She broke off at the sound of shots being fired somewhere above. "What was that?"

Squall dashed back into the carrier and said, "Zell?"

"Yeah! Gunfire, baby! Dunno what's going on!"

"Whatever. Bring us back up. There's nothing down here."

"Okay, man!"

There were halfway back up when Squall noticed two people over by a stairway, and they weren't guards. "Zell! Stop!"

"What's going on?" came Quistis's voice.

"No time. Just stop this thing. Stay put! That's an order!" He then called out, "Hey, cowboy! Princess! Get your asses in here!"

"What the hell are they doing here?" Selphie muttered, then waved cheerfully.

Irvine provided cover as he and Rinoa dashed over and jumped in. "The cavalry is here!" Irvine announced saucily.

Squall touched his forehead and sighed. "Zell, bring us up!"

As the carrier began trundling upward again Selphie said, "Heeey, what gives?"

"We came to get you all out, of course!" Rinoa declared.

Squall eyed Irvine, who nodded, then said, "The basement door is buried in sand."

Irvine nodded. "This place is buried underground. Up is the only way."

"But...?"

"Trust me."

When they reached the top Irvine took the lead, heading up toward where Zell and Quistis had gone. He did a double take when they were there waiting. "How'd we miss you two on the way in?"

Zell pointed to a door off to the side.

"Whatever. Let's go."

Irvine nodded and dashed off, bringing them to the outside through a dizzying array of passages and rooms.

"We're outside!" Selphie squealed. "We escaped! We escaped!"

They all jerked at the sound of a mechanical voice booming out from overhead. "Prisoners may not go beyond this point. You will be terminated."

_'Ah, hell.'_ Squall got his gunblade ready as a soldier and two mechanicals rushed into view. They presented an actual challenge, but were eventually defeated. He was grateful, as he still felt a bit shaky from the effects of his torture.

"Uh, wait a minute!" Irvine looked around with a puzzled expression.

"No way!" Rinoa said. "It wasn't like this before."

Squall realized that they were incredibly high up when they should have been near ground level. There were three structures, threaded like screws, one of which they stood on, and connecting them in a triangle were metal walkways. "It... must have surfaced while we were inside...?"

"We left a transport over there"—Rinoa pointed toward an open bay door—"but..."

"What goes up, must come down?" Selphie asked, scratching her head. The words were barely out of her mouth when the structure started vibrating, causing them to hang on to whatever was handy. "All right!"

Several minutes and a massive sand storm later, they were flush with the desert surface again. Rinoa dashed over to the bay and stood by one of the cars. "We gotta go!"

"I wanna ride the yellow one!" Selphie declared.

"I'll take that one, too," Quistis said.

"Me, too!" said Rinoa.

"Hey, hey, hey!" Irvine grumbled. "Ladies?"

"Let's go, Irvine," Zell said, and tugged on the sleeve of his coat.

Squall simply headed for the other car and got in, taking the wheel, and drove out of the bay the moment they were situated. He followed the road away from the prison until he hit a junction, then pulled off to the side and stopped. He got out and jogged over to climb a slight rise, then scanned the horizon. The other car screeched to a halt a few seconds later.

"Squall, what gives?" Selphie yelled.

"I'm looking for a missile base."

Quistis gasped. "That was true!? Rinoa heard from Irvine that the sorceress is going to launch missiles against Garden."

"Yes. I heard it while I was being interrogated. Balamb Garden is in danger. There." He pointed down one of the roads.

"It's not just Balamb. They plan to attack Trabia as well!" Irvine said.

"We have to interfere with the launch! We have to stop the missiles!" Selphie insisted. "I just transferred from Trabia Garden. I can't just sit around knowing that it's in danger! Squall, please, let me go to the base, before it's too late!"

He planted a hand on his hip, trying to decide what to do. "All right, but not alone. And someone must go to try to give warning in case..."

"Okay, fine! Choose who goes with me!"

Squall opened his mouth to respond when they were all distracted by the sight of a volley of missiles shooting upward from the distant base. So much for sending people off in groups of two.

"I... I heard they were hitting Trabia first, and then Balamb," Irvine said.

"Trabia," Selphie whispered. "I'm sorry, I couldn't stop it. Please let everybody be all right. Please. That was a miss... right?" She shook her head violently and stared at Squall. "Who!?"

"Selphie, you're in charge of the missile base team. Quistis, go with her. You have a cool head and I'm counting on you. Rinoa, with them. It's the less dangerous of options, so you should be safer there. Irvine, Zell, you're with me. Selphie, do you have some kind of plan?"

She promptly responded, "I think if we take this Galbadian army vehicle we should be able to make it inside the base. But... that's about it. I'll have to think of the rest once we're inside, after we've had a chance to check things out. Okay? I mean—thanks. There isn't much time! You better hurry to Balamb Garden!"

Squall nodded. "See you there."

Both teams scattered for their respective cars, and Selphie pulled out in a cloud of dust, heading off toward the base. Squall took the other road, intent on reaching a station he had seen in the distance. On arrival he slammed the car to a stop and jumped out, then crept around the side of the building that had covered their approach.

He motioned toward the train as an engineer disembarked and began to walk away, then the three of them dashed toward it and hopped in, with Irvine setting the thing in motion. As the train pulled away from the station soldiers appeared and gave chase, yelling for it to stop, but they fell back in futile exhaustion.

"I wonder whose train we just stole?" Zell wondered out loud.

"And where we'll end up?" Irvine said dryly.

* * *

"All right, baby! Garden is safe!"

"For now," Squall said. "We can't be certain of that. We have to report to the headmaster. Come on." He set off at a jog through the gates, faltering as he noticed that students were running around aimlessly as a faculty member shouted orders.

"Find the headmaster!"

_'Were they warned already? What's going on?'_ He picked up his pace and crossed the front quad. He faltered again at the orders of another faculty member, this one even more confusing.

"Seize him! Kill him if you have to! Go!"

They finally made it past the turnstiles, still seeing the same aimless running around, and were stopped by one of the faculty. "You three, what side are you on?"

_'Huh?'_

"Answer the question! Are you with the garden master, or are you with Cid!?"

He shook his head. "I don't understand what you're talking about."

"Do you swear your allegiance to Garden Master Norg?"

_'Who the hell is Norg?'_ He shook his head again. "Can you tell me what's going on?"

"I'm the one asking the questions! You're just supposed to follow orders. Hey! What kind of attitude is that? You're with Cid, aren't you!" The faculty member whistled, summoning monsters, then set them on Squall and his teammates. "Norg is the true ruler of Garden!"

_'Ruler!?'_ he thought as he attacked. After dispatching the beasts they pressed on, sliding to a stop near the directory, where Fujin and Raijin were standing.

"Hey, you're back!"

"What's going on here?"

"I dunno. At first, they were sayin' somethin' 'bout roundin' up the SeeDs, you know? Now, everyone's either sidin' with the garden master or the headmaster and fightin' everywhere, you know?"

"Disturbing," Fujin added.

"Disappointin' for the disciplinary committee. All our work for nothin', you know?"

"Why are SeeDs being targeted? And where's the headmaster? Is he safe?"

Raijin shrugged. "We got no clue."

"We need to see him right away. It's important. Galbadian missiles may be heading this way."

"What!? We gotta get outta here!" He yelped when Fujin kicked him and said, "Geez, all right! We'll warn everyone about the missiles! Man, this is no time to be fightin', you know?"

"We'll go look for the headmaster."

"Caution!"

"Yeah, the fightin' is intense everywhere! And watch out for those garden master goons! But after this, we're goin' to join Seifer!" Raijin ran off with Fujin.

_'Even as he is now?'_ "Right, let's start looking."

"His office?" Irvine questioned.

"That's almost too obvious," Squall replied, a hand firmly on his hip. "Besides, we don't have access to that. If he was there the faculty wouldn't have the students running ragged down here. Let's go." He randomly picked right and headed toward the library.

After a fight forced on them by one of the faculty they checked it out and found nothing, so Squall backtracked and tried the training center, only to get the same results. En route to the parking garage they dispatched more summoned monsters before entering, and spotted Cid.

Squall snapped off a salute. "Sir!" He blinked when the headmaster wavered and vanished. "What the—?"

"It was just a hologram," a voice said, followed by a SeeD revealing himself. "Pretty cool, huh? The headmaster isn't here. We're just here to make them believe that he's in here."

A second SeeD said, "If those bastards attack us all at once we won't stand a chance, even if we are SeeDs."

"Basically, we're cutting them off and fighting them in small groups. Brilliant, huh? It wasn't our idea, though. Xu came up with it."

The second SeeD added, "She took charge immediately when this whole thing began."

Squall nodded and backtracked, this time headed for the dorms. Another fight, another fruitless search. It wasn't until they reached the infirmary that they learned anything else at all. After dispatching both monsters and SeeDs siding with Norg they continued on in to see Kadowaki hovering over a SeeD.

"Oh my, can you stand up?"

"Why are you helping me? I'm with the garden master."

"Stop being ridiculous," Kadowaki snapped. "I don't care whose side you're on. We need to take care of those wounds!" She turned to Squall and said, "Don't just stand there, give me a hand."

He followed her into her office as she said, "What is all this faction mumbo jumbo? It's ridiculous. Are you looking for Cid? As you can see, he's not here."

"Do you have any idea?"

She tapped a finger against her lips. "Hm, Xu might know. I have no idea where she is, though, either. Why are you looking for him, anyway?"

"I need to inform him that there may be missiles heading this way. You should get out of here, too."

"Are you serious!? I'm definitely going to have to stay. If anyone gets hurt, who's going to look after them?"

Squall shook his head. "Okay, thanks." Maybe Cid being in his office wasn't such a crazy idea after all? He motioned to Irvine and Zell and backtracked again, saying as he went, "I guess we try the second floor next." As they neared the directory he spotted Xu, and gave chase. She ran toward the elevator, but by the time they reached it she was nowhere to be seen.

"She went up?" Zell asked.

Squall took a deep breath to help control his frustration, then said, "Zell, circle the lift. Make sure she hasn't gone back there. _Then_ we go up."

"I'm on it!" Zell dashed off and was back less than a minute later from the other direction. "All clear!"

At the second floor they jogged down the walkway to the classroom corridor, and spotted Xu again. This time she held her ground. "Whose side are you on!?"

"Neither! We have urgent news. We need to see the headmaster, now. Where is he?"

"I'm listening..."

He took another deep breath against the delay and said, "Galbadian missiles may be heading this way. Our second team went to try to stop them, but we can't simply assume that they succeeded."

"Here!? All right, I'll inform him immediately."

"Where is he?"

"In his office," she admitted. "We made it look like he's hiding, but he's been there all along. Follow me."

Squall managed to do so without screaming, showing admirable restraint as Xu told them to wait for a moment. She disappeared into the office and was back out shortly. "He's waiting for you. I'll go tell everyone to evacuate."

Squall gave her a nod and entered the office. "Sir."

"Xu has told me about the missiles. The intercom is down so we can't announce the order to evacuate."

"Xu, Raijin, and Fujin are taking care of that," Squall replied.

"I want you to assist them and then evacuate."

"I have a lot to report."

Cid gestured vaguely. "You can tell me later." When Squall failed to leave he asked, "Do you have a problem with that?"

_'You're damn right I do.'_ Squall licked his lips before saying, "Sir, what are you going to do?"

"I'm going to stay here and see this through to the end. After all, this place is like my home."

_'And it's not ours?'_

"You're plannin' on dying here!?" Zell punched the air for emphasis.

"You can rest assured. I'm just going to try something. There still may be a way to save Garden," he said as he started to walk away. He managed only a few steps before he sank to one knee, clearly in pain. "Heh heh, I'm too old for this," he murmured.

"Sir, I'd like to handle whatever it is you've got planned."

Cid shifted so he could look at Squall directly. "And why is that?"

Out of the multitude of reasons he could have given, he merely said, "My feelings have nothing to do with it, sir."

The headmaster laughed quietly. "Quistis was right. You do have a hard time expressing yourself."

"Sir! Is this _really_ the time? Please just tell us your plan."

Cid nodded slowly. "This building used to be a shelter, long before it was remodeled into Garden as we know it." He reached into a pocket and withdrew a key, which he tossed to Squall. "Use that key to open the lock on the elevator. That'll allow you access to the MD level. Rumor has it that farther below the MD level is some kind of control system. It was used when this place was a shelter, so I've never seen it, and I have no idea what it does. All I know is that it was used for the shelter, so it might prove effective against the missiles. That's what I'm betting on."

"Understood. We'll find the control system and check it out."

"Good luck to you."

Squall saluted and left. In the elevator he used the key, but before it finished its descent the power failed, the lift jerking to a stop.

_'Bloody brilliant.'_

_'Where have you been!?'_ he asked as he jabbed one of the buttons hopefully.

_'I'm sorry. It was unavoidable.'_

Irvine stared at the ceiling for a few moments, then crouched down and examined the floor. "Ah." He twisted something, then pulled, opening a hatch.

"All right!"

"Let's be careful," Squall said before going through. He spotted a tunnel off to one side and edged into it, awkwardly moving sideways to make room for the others. Another hatch was located and opened, then used, dropping them into another tunnel, this one large enough to stand up in properly.

At the end was a ladder, which they took, ending up in a circular room. Being blocked from descending further, Squall opted to check out the only door. Inside was a valve, which Zell grabbed hold of and began turning. A grinding noise could be heard beyond the door; when checked they could see not only had the floor retracted, but a ladder had been revealed.

"How deep does this place go?" Irvine questioned wearily.

Down the ladder, and then down a catwalk, they stopped near a giant central pillar and looked for what to do next. It looked to be a disappointing dead end until Zell let out a shout and pointed. "Man, another ladder."

"I wonder where this one goes?" Irvine mused, then said, "Oh, over there." He pointed toward a glassed-in area, possibly a control room.

Squall eyed the ladder with trepidation, not liking how rusty it was. "I'm... the lightest. I'll check it out." He started climbing, and part way up the ladder pulled loose from its moorings and fell toward the nearby room. The impact of his body shattered the glass and he dropped unceremoniously to the floor. _'Maybe I should have stayed in bed this morning, too?'_ he asked as he hauled himself up and brushed away the debris.

_'Don't be silly. I can't talk to you when you're asleep, and then I'd be terribly bored. Not much of a control room, but I do spy a switch.'_

Squall walked over and pressed it, then watched as part of the floor below moved out of position, opening up a route to a new ladder. And with no other viable way out of the room, he carefully climbed back down.

"Squall, that was close! You all right!?" Zell asked.

"I'm fine. Let's proceed." He headed toward the edge of the platform and thumbed a glowing switch, nodded when a barrier slid out of the way, then started climbing again. At the bottom was a walkway capped by a door, and nearby a switch.

Zell hit it as they moved forward. They dispatched a set of monsters halfway to the door that had emerged from the sludge below them, then proceeded through, only to find another ladder.

Squall groaned and glared at the ladder. "The headmaster could never have managed this," he said before climbing down again, then nearly kissed someone when he realized there was a console just ahead, even though he had _no_ idea what that massive thing was off to the side. It looked like an unfortunate meeting of a pillar, cylindrical gears, and a grooved sphere. "Looks like we're here...?"

"Oh, man, what the hell do we do now?"

Squall spared Zell a glance and started examining the console. He recognized nothing he saw, but gamely started pushing buttons at random, hoping for some sort of reaction, preferably positive.

"What the heck are you doing?" Zell asked as Irvine also began examining the controls.

"I have no idea," Squall admitted as he pushed a few more things. "But what else can we do?" His head jerked up as the room began to shake; he stared at the construct as blue arcs of electricity or some energy began to appear and crawl over it, and parts of it started to spin and rotate.

The console platform they were standing on started to rise rapidly, like an elevator. As they shot upward they reached the level of headmaster's office, picking up Cid as well, then smoothly came to a stop, giving them a 360° view of the area around Garden.

As Squall tried to regain his equilibrium and adjust to the sudden change in circumstance, the 'halo' above Garden began to spin, and actually descend as though it was illusionary and not solid. Blue light sprang up, perhaps some magical aid, and as the 'halo' reached terrain level the Garden structure wrenched free from the ground and kicked up an enormous cloud of dust and dirt.

"Missiles incoming!" Squall shouted, having spotted them.

"No!"

He watched helplessly as they approached and arced up, then plummeted toward them. But Garden was already moving due to their displacement, causing the missiles to miss and impact against the terrain, exploding with a relative lack of harm.

"We're moving!?"

"I see... so this is the secret. I wonder what is happening outside?" Cid said with admirable calmness.

"Squall, let's go check it out!" Zell said and joined him on what looked like a small lift. Irvine quickly moved over as well, and they descended a moment later to the normal level of Cid's office.

"The balcony!" Squall ran for the elevator, hoping it was working again, and was pleased to see that it was. He headed for the second floor balcony the moment the doors opened and nearly gasped at what he saw. The 'halo' rotated smoothly around the base of Garden, acting almost like Zell's confiscated T-board as the entire structure floated along.

Back inside they were hailed by Xu. "Squall! It's the headmaster! Get back to the bridge on the double!"

When they arrived Cid was all in a pother. "Squall, the controls aren't responding! I don't know what to do. We're going to crash into the town of Balamb if we don't do something! Can you think of anything?"

_'Not really.'_ He ignored the panicking of his teammates and even the flustered gesturing of Cid to examine the console again. It still made no sense, so he did what he had before—randomly play with the controls. Why Cid seemed to think he held the answer to everything, though...

"Whoa! What was that!?" Zell shouted as the structure shuddered.

"Yes!" Cid cried. "We're turning!"

"All right, Squall!" Irvine cheered as Garden missed the town. "You did it!"

"Aaaah! We're gonna crash into the sea!" Zell wailed.

"Everybody hold on to something," Cid warned. Once things settled down again and they were in no danger of toppling off the platform he said, "Phew. Squall, everyone, a job well done. I think the worst is behind us for now."

"Where are we heading?"

The headmaster shrugged. "We'll drift along for the time being, I suppose, until we can figure out how to maneuver Garden. So, it looks like we can finally relax for a while, and spend some time considering what to do next." He glanced around and frowned faintly. "So much for my room. Where am I going to change now?"

Even Squall was moved to chuckle.

* * *

Posted: 01 April 2008  
Updated:

* * *


	4. Griever

**Notes**: This chapter was edited by my cat Storm. Storm would like to point out that Norg is a weenie who talks funny. Storm also hates dealing with 'battle' scenes.

* * *

— Convergence: 04: Griever —

* * *

_'It's kind of boring now that we've cleaned all the extraneous monsters out of Garden, and we've been drifting for ages. There's not much of anything to do,'_ he thought as he sprawled on his bed.

_'You could report to the headmaster,'_ Griever suggested.

_'Hn, yeah. There's a lot of things I want to ask about, too. He's probably busy, though, trying to reestablish order. And I'm worried about the girls. Did I do the right thing in letting Selphie and them go there?'_

_'I think... she'd have gone anyway. She seemed incredibly determined, and she was driving the other car. For all you know she would have capitulated to your face, then driven there anyway.'_

_'Possibly. I know I was the squad leader, but everything just got so messed up, so...'_

_'Stop that. Yes, the situation with the original mission was a mess. It's not your fault you ended up trying to work on something practically impossible to accomplish. As for the assassination attempt, you showed real compassion and empathy toward Irvine, before and after the attempt. You helped him through it, and didn't blame him when things went sour. I'm not sure I could have handled it that well, had I come to realize that my target was a mother-figure for me.'_

Squall rolled over onto his side and tucked a hand under his head. _'I wish... I could see you.'_

_'I'm not much of a physical fighter, you know. What use would I be?'_

He snorted._ 'Use? I could use you as a shield against intrusive females, for one thing.'_

_'Hey now! I charge extra for that level of service.'_

_'Really? And what would you charge?'_

_'Oh, well... I don't know if you could afford it. Maybe... maybe I should like a kiss. But, that might set tongues to wagging for other reasons, and prompt even more intrusive questions.'_

Squall froze for a moment, barely daring to believe he had heard correctly. _'I don't think I'd mind,'_ he admitted.

There was a startled pause before Griever said, _'Even though I'm male? Even though you've never seen me?'_

_'But I have seen you, the you that counts. I've never said it, have I. To anyone. I...'_

Griever hummed and responded in a curious tone, _'I wonder, Squall, if you would recognize me.'_ After a brief pause he said, _'You know, I think I'll check into a couple of things when I have a moment. Something that would come in handy if things lead where I think they might. It's a possibility, anyway.'_

Squall stifled a sigh, both at the change of subject and the vagueness. _'Can you tell me? Or hint?'_

_'I'm curious about Esthar. By the way, you said something back in Deling that made me wonder.'_

_'What?'_

_'When you were trying to help Irvine, in the clock tower. You said that Edea didn't sound like herself. And I spent some time thinking about that, and what she said before the parade. Now, I know that people fear sorceresses, but the only one in recent history that caused any trouble was Adel, in Esthar. So why would Edea imply that she herself had been condemned for generations? Maybe I'm misremembering, but it seems very odd and out of place.'_

He rolled onto his back again and stared blindly at the ceiling. _'Supposedly Adel was the focus of the Second Sorceress War. For all I know, Hyne was the first, except Hyne was male. Doesn't make for a good record of generations of hatred for a woman maybe forty years old.'_

Griever snorted._ 'Hyne? I think time has shrouded the truth on that matter. Remember, history is written by the victors. Hey, this is getting maudlin. Why don't you see if the headmaster is available, or at least walk around. You haven't even eaten lately.'_

Squall sat up and got to his feet. _'I suppose so. If I lie here for much longer I'll fall asleep.'_

_'Are you accusing me of being boring?'_ Griever teased.

_'Hardly.'_ He grabbed his gunblade just in case and strapped it in place, then strolled out of his room, the vague notion in his mind to circle the core, and decide as he approached the cafeteria on the way back if he was actually hungry. He made it halfway around when he was hailed by a faculty member.

"Student ID No. 41269, Squall?"

"Yes," he affirmed, a bit wary considering who was asking.

"The garden master wishes to see you. Report to the master's room right away."

"Where is the master's room?"

"Take the elevator to level B1. You have permission."

_'Oookay.'_ Squall headed for the lift and was surprised to see Irvine and Zell also approaching. He stepped in, waiting for them to board, then asked, "Don't suppose you two are headed to...?"

"B1," they both said.

"Right." He pushed that button and frowned. "I wonder why?" He exited when the door slid open and had a look around, noticing that the room curved around to his right.

"Please! Listen to me!" a man pleaded.

"The headmaster...?"

"Let go of me! I'm not finished!"

"Eh, come on!" He headed for the voice at a fast walk, coming around the curve to see the headmaster getting manhandled by several faculty members.

"Greedy son of a bitch! Why did I even bother talking to you! SeeDs were brought up for the future, and that future is now! Why can't you understand!?" Cid was pushed back by a faculty member, nearly falling over. "Damn it! I should never have trusted you! I wish I could go back in time. To tell myself that you're nothing but a money grubbing son of a bitch! Then I would've never built this place."

When they got there Cid looked utterly shocked by their appearance. "Squall!? You... heard everything?"

What was there to say but, "Yes."

"I'm embarrassed, but sometimes even old men like me lose their temper. Let's get out of here."

"Sir, I still have to give you my report."

"Please come to my office later," Cid said, then retreated to the lift.

As soon as he was gone a faculty member walked up to them. "You're the SeeDs who returned from Galbadia, correct?"

_'Well, Irvine isn't a SeeD, and this isn't all of us, but...'_ He nodded.

"It's about time. Master Norg has been waiting for you. Come." They were led further around, to a large, pod-like structure. "Whenever Master Norg calls you, be sure to be there within three seconds."

"Fushururu... Three seconds are up." The pod split open to reveal an incredibly ugly creature with flipper-like arms.

_'This is the garden master? The proprietor of Garden? He's not human? Come to think of it, we've never been told anything about him.'_

"FushifuruFushifuru... Give your report on the sorceress."

"Answer him quickly," said a faculty member. "Be concise."

_'It's going to be a sad report...'_ He came to attention and said, "Confirmation of Headmaster Cid's order was made at Galbadia Garden. After Irvine Kinneas of Galbadia Garden joined our party we set off to carry out the mission, a joint operation between Balamb Garden and Galbadia Garden, to assassinate Sorceress Edea. However, we failed to—"

"Bujurururu! Balamb and Galbadia's orders!? Bujurururu! You were fooled!"

"I... don't understand."

"Fushurururu... Explain to them."

The faculty member promptly said, "Master Norg has known about the alliance between the president of Galbadia and the sorceress. He heard it from the Galbadia garden master himself."

"The Galbadian garden master...?" The more they said, the less he understood.

"Fushururu... The master of Galbadia Garden is a subordinate of mine named Martine."

_'I thought he was their headmaster?'_

"Yes," the faculty member said. "In fact, the sorceress and Garden are closely connected. That is why the sorceress will definitely try to gain hold of all Gardens. So, Master Norg sent an official order to Galbadia Garden. It was to kill the sorceress. An assassination was thought to be the best means. But..."

"Bujurururu! That sly weasel Martine used you as a last resort for the assassination. He gave that order to place the blame on _me_, that bastard."

"Are you saying that Balamb Garden had nothing to do with that order?"

"You just happened to show up just before the mission was to be carried out. They used you," explained the faculty member.

_'But that means...'_ He darted a glance at Irvine. "The operation failed. The sorceress is still alive."

"And the sorceress retaliated. Just as we suspected. No doubt, it was the sorceress who ordered the missile attacks. Something must be done to calm her anger."

"Wait a minute, that's—"

"In order to do so, we needed to hand over those involved in the assassination attempt to the sorceress. We had to show Balamb Garden's sincerity."

"Bujurururu! Offer the SeeD's head on a silver platter and pretend we obey the sorceress!"

"Eh? Why aren't we _fighting_ the sorceress? What about all the training we endure everyday? What good is it!?"

"What did you say!? You lost to the sorceress! Quit your whining!"

"Headmaster Cid was saying the same thing—"

"Bujurururu! Cid!? That idiot Cid would dispatch SeeD to kill the sorceress. And if you fail? This Garden will be done for! My Garden! It will all be over! That idiot Cid. Has he forgotten that it was I who put up the money to establish Garden!? I wanted to offer the sorceress Cid's head along with the SeeDs. I ordered the students to find Cid but they sided with him! Bujurururu! Bujurururu! This is my Garden!"

Squall slashed a hand down in negation. "_No_! It's not just yours."

"Bujurururu! Then what is it!? Is it Cid's and Edea's!? That pathetic married couple's!?"

"What...?"

"Bushurururu... Now I understand. Cid and Edea are trying to take Garden away from me. You're one of Cid's followers aren't you!? Prepare to die!"

Squall readied his gunblade as Norg retreated into his pod, and attacked a moment later, Irvine and Zell following suit. They eventually noticed a pattern to when Norg would attack with magic and worked to prevent that even as they rained down blows on the pod itself. After a time the top of the pod cracked off, revealing Norg.

"Damn those SeeDs! This is my Garden! You can't do as you please!"

Squall ignored its babblings and checked it again with scan, then drew to extract, and a short time later saw Norg cowering in fear. "Fushururu... I'm done for! I'm afraid of you! Me, why me...?" He retreated deeper into his pod, until none of them could see him.

"What the hell was that?" Zell asked.

"Not here. We need to see Cid. _He_ might have answers." Squall looked around one more time before heading for the lift. _'Used? Then it would have been Galbadia only, Irvine and who knows. I guess I understand why Norg was upset, but...'_ The headmaster wasn't in his office so they backtracked to the first level and began checking there, starting with the infirmary.

Kadowaki seemed to know why they had come, asking, "Do you need to see the headmaster?"

"Yes, now."

"Well, the headmaster is kind of..."

"I'm okay now, doctor," Cid said.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I believe I'm done crying."

Kadowaki gave a resigned sigh and faced Squall. "Just take it easy, okay? He's got a lot on his mind," she said and discreetly made herself scarce.

"You all see me in such an embarrassing state. Well, what shall we talk about?"

He decided to start at the start. "I want to make a report."

"No, no," Cid said with a slow shake of his head. "It's not necessary. I can guess what must have happened."

Squall gritted his teeth for a moment and said, "During a conflict in D-District Prison, the sorceress's knight said that Edea demanded to know the real meaning behind Garden and SeeD. Norg and his people also stated that Edea is already connected to Garden, which makes her earlier demand senseless. Will you please tell us?"

"That... is a complicated thing. SeeD, as you know, is the elite mercenary force of Balamb Garden. However... the many missions around the world are only training for the final battle against the sorceress. That has always been the true purpose behind SeeD. And, now that the sorceress has become a major threat, our mission has begun. As for why Edea is connected to Garden..."

"She's your wife," Squall stated.

"Yes," Cid said with a nod. "She has been a sorceress since childhood, and I married her knowing that. We worked together, the two of us, and we were happy. One day Edea began talking about building Garden and training SeeD. I became obsessed with the plan, but I was very concerned with SeeD's goal, that one day SeeD might fight Edea. She laughed and told me that would never happen..."

"Then you have no idea why she might now have no knowledge of something she helped to start?"

"No, I'm afraid not. That is as much a mystery to me as to you."

He hadn't thought it would be so easy. With a mental shrug he said, "Norg wanted to hand us over to Galbadia, to Edea. You as well. We were forced to fight for our freedom, and he kept insisting that Garden belonged to him, that he funded it."

"Ah, he is from the Shumi tribe. A black sheep of the tribe, one might say. We met while I was running around trying to find funds to build Garden. He became interested himself and we hit it off. Thanks to his funding it was completed. However, we needed an enormous amount of funds to run it, so we began dispatching SeeDs around the world as a means of supporting Garden. And of course, it simply meant that SeeDs would receive more real-world training.

"Norg's idea was right on the money. An enormous amount of capital began flowing in. Garden began to change. Lost sight of our high ideals, the truth was covered up... In the end it was my fault, for giving up so much control. But that's probably enough on that subject. Surely we'll stop drifting around soon. I only hope that we can get things back to the way they were."

Squall nodded at the implied dismissal and said, "Yes, sir," then quit the room and headed back out to the core. He was still deciding whether or not to head to the cafeteria when Xu ran up to them.

"Have you seen the headmaster around?" she asked breathlessly.

"He's in the infirmary."

"Is something wrong?" Irvine asked.

"Go to the second floor deck—the balcony past the classrooms—and see for yourselves. There's a ship approaching. It could be Galbadians, or worse—the sorceress might be aboard, coming to attack us! I have to tell the headmaster right away," she said, then ran off again.

Squall arched a brow at Irvine and Zell, then made for the elevator. Up on the deck he could see that a large white ship had already come up next to them. _'Everything's white... No Galbadian symbols...'_

Three people emerged onto the deck of the ship, one of which yelled to them, "Is Headmaster Cid here!?"

"No, he's not here," he equivocated, thinking they reminded him of people he'd seen earlier, somewhere... "Are you from... Galbadia?"

"We are SeeDs! This is Edea's ship. We are Sorceress Edea's SeeD!"

_'SeeD!?'_

"We're coming aboard! We're unarmed!" The three jumped up and landed on the balcony to meet three armed and ready defenders. "Please. We come in peace. We must speak to Headmaster Cid. Where is he?"

"I'm right here," came Cid's voice from behind them, appearing a moment later with Xu.

"Headmaster, we've come for Ellone. It's too dangerous here now."

_'She's still here!?'_

"Yes," said Cid. "I'm afraid it is. Squall? Do you know where she is? Please go find her. She's somewhere in Garden."

_'How are these guys connected?'_

"Squall?"

"Yes, sir." He did an about-face and went back inside.

"Ellone's that girl, huh? You know, that little girl Laguna was taking care of?" Zell asked.

"I expect so."

"So she's in Garden? Let's split up and find her!" Zell barreled off without waiting for an answer.

He glanced at Irvine, who nodded, and they set off for the lift. Chances were she was somewhere on the ground floor. They found her in the library, reading a book. She looked up as they came near. "Yes, Squall?"

"You _are_ Ellone."

"Yes..."

"The Ellone who knows Laguna, correct?" He tilted his head to the side.

"Yes. I really love Uncle Laguna."

"Then are you able to explain why we... That experience? Do you know what I'm talking about?"

"I'm sorry, Squall. It's hard to explain. But, one thing... It's about the past. People say you can't change the past. But even still, if there's a possibility, it's worth a try, right?"

"Are _you_ the one who's been taking us there?"

"I'm sorry."

"That's a yes. Did you involve me because—"

"Squall! Did you find Ellone?"

He backed up and looked over his shoulder to see Xu.

"I'm Ellone."

Xu brightened. "You're needed. Please come with me."

Ellone rose and started forward, pausing beside him. "You're my only hope," she whispered before continuing on and leaving with Xu.

Squall pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. "So much for that. I didn't even have a chance to... Irvine, sorry, but I think I'm going to go lie down."

"No problem, man," Irvine said easily. "Get some rest."

* * *

_'Why did she say that? What does she want so badly to change? How can I be anyone's only hope?'_

_'The only people I can think of that matter in this are Ellone, you, Laguna, and Raine. Perhaps she wants to change things so you two ended up with Laguna rather than in an orphanage?'_

_'Way too many things happened seventeen years ago. And damn it, she's been here all this time, while we've been anywhere but. I'm such an idiot for not remembering earlier, while I was whining about being bored.'_

_'Hey, hey. One acquires perfect vision in hindsight. You really shouldn't be so hard on yourself. I spent a lot of time, too, kicking myself for what I thought was idiotic behavior, but really... I was being an ass to be so enthusiastic about it. I had to learn that there are some things you just can't control or change, so there's no sense borrowing guilt.'_

He smiled faintly. _'You always seem to know what to say. It's just... I don't know.'_

_'I don't know what Ellone wants, but I think she's in for a disappointment. In my experience, changing the past is impossible, except obliquely. I remember once seeing a movie... A young man went back in time, I think by accident, and ended up screwing up the moment when his parents became a couple. It had the effect of him slowly starting to vanish from existence, so he had to engineer a different moment to get them back on track. But... I thought it was a paradox and completely nuts.'_

_'How so?'_

_'Well, if he screwed things up and wasn't able to fix it, he wouldn't exist, so he never could have gone back in time to screw things up and threaten his own existence, right? It's like the puzzle of the man who goes back in time and accidentally kills his grandfather. But if he did that, he wouldn't have existed in the first place, so how could he go back to begin with? Paradox. Now, if a man went back in time and was killed by his earlier self, or by anyone else for that matter... that I could accept.'_

_'I think I understand.'_

_'Now, the real brain mangler is this. A man goes into the past and meets his grandfather. At that point, it's the present for the grandfather, and the grandson is from his future, right? So just how far ahead is the future fixed? Is everything we do fated because it's all already played out? Are we really all just living in chained together moments of the past?'_

_'Uh...'_

_'I'm not trying to give you a headache,'_ Griever said apologetically._ 'Just to point out that there's no sense borrowing trouble. Still, Ellone seems to have a very interesting ability, wouldn't you say? I wonder what the actual limitations are.'_

The PA system suddenly chimed. "Hello, everyone," came Cid's voice. "This is the headmaster speaking. The lines have been fixed, and I'm glad to be back on the air. Hurrah! Um!? Whoa!!" There was a brief pause, then, "Squall! This is the headmaster speaking! Please come to my office! Repeat. Please come to my office right away!"

Squall stood up and bolted for the door, curious, but having become somewhat accustomed to walking around in a haze of confusion. When he arrived at the office Cid was starting a new announcement.

"Everybody, please remain calm. Also, please do not leave the Garden under any circumstances until you are permitted. We will try to get things back in order ASAP. Thank you for your cooperation." He spotted Squall as he clicked off the microphone.

"Ah, Squall, thank you for coming. Here are your orders. We've 'landed' at Fishermans Horizon. Please go ashore with Zell and Irvine. Find the local mayor and apologize for this accident. Tell them that we come in peace. Oh, and take a look around the city while you're there, too."

"Yes, sir," he said slowly, wondering why him again. He felt like he was being groomed for something.

"SeeD is not just a special force for combat," Cid added. "I want you to see the world, to broaden your horizons. I have high expectations for you, Squall. Now off you go."

_'High expectations? Not just a special combat force? I'm beginning to wonder about _his_ memory.'_ He took the elevator down and exited, coming face to face with Irvine and Zell.

"What's up? Are we going to Fishermans?" asked Irvine.

"Yes. We're to make an official apology, then observe the town."

"Yo, the gate's closed, so we'll need to use the second floor deck," Zell informed him.

On reaching the deck they discovered that Garden had apparently attempted to mate with a crane, which now formed a walkway between Garden and what looked like metal scaffolding or half-finished construction. Two men were waiting.

"We've got to warn you before you come ashore," said one. "Do not engage in any type of armed conflict in the city. We do not tolerate belligerence here. Do you understand?"

"Yes. We are representatives of Garden and we come in peace."

The second man stared at them, then said, "Welcome to Fishermans Horizon. We just call it FH. You should go visit the mayor. His house is at the middle of the city."

"Thank you. We'll do that."

"Good. Looks like we understand each other. Man, this is one hell of a mess."

"I'm terribly sorry. It was inevitable. We lost control of Garden."

"Nah, don't worry about it," the second man said. "What's important is that nobody got hurt. We love fixing stuff, anyway. Kick back and enjoy your stay. You can follow us to the lift."

There the second man took position at a set of controls and said, "So, you guys going to Esthar?"

"I'm sorry?"

"You know, that high-tech city. It's just beyond the train tracks. I guess you're not going there? A lot of people who stop here do. The trains are down, so the best way to get there is to walk from here. What a joke, huh? Anyway... You guys had an accident and came here, huh? I guess I shouldn't keep you." He checked to see that everyone was properly on the platform, then worked the controls, sending them down to the city itself. "To get to Mayor Dobe's house, just head straight and down. You can't miss it."

Squall nodded as they got off, then proceeded. He understood what the man meant as they stepped onto a set of tracks. Straight ahead was an enormous inverted hemisphere, lined with what appeared to be solar panels. A walkway descended to the center—a fair-sized circular platform, on which stood a house with plenty of room to spare around it. Off to their right the tracks split, and he could see a number of people and buildings heading off quite a ways. They found the mayor on the second floor of his house, along with a woman.

"Allow me to get straight to the point," said the mayor. "When are you leaving?"

"We'll leave as soon as Garden is capable of moving."

"Any idea when?"

Squall shook his head. "I'm afraid not. We only discovered that our Garden is mobile a short while ago. Therefore, we don't even know how to move it. We're still in the process of understanding everything."

"Our technicians will assist you. They should be able to repair and service everything. How does that sound?" When Squall hesitated he said, "Go consult with your leader if you don't have the authority. And just to be crystal clear, we don't _want_ military organizations in FH. You rely on strength to solve problems, and that's in direct defiance of our principles."

The woman spoke as well. "We believe that any problem can be settled by discussion. If you reach a mutual understanding, there is no need to fight."

_'These people are hopelessly naïve.'_

"Violence only leads to more violence," Dobe said. "We believe your presence here will attract violence. That's why we want you to leave as soon as possible, and why we're willing to use our resources to assist you on your way."

Squall nodded. "We must consult with our leader."

Back outside Zell started bouncing in agitation. "Man, that geezer pisses me off! Squall, why didn't you tell him off?"

"There would be no point. Forget it. You can't expect everyone to welcome us, and you know there are people out there who despise SeeD." He started back up the walkway.

From somewhere up above came a frightened, "G—Galbadian soldiers!"

He kept right on walking. If these people required them to remain peaceful, so be it. And then from behind them came the woman's voice, so he stopped.

"Wait! The Galbadians are here because of you, right? They're after you."

_'Maybe. Maybe not.'_

"You'd better take full responsibility! It's your fault!"

_'Look, lady, make up your damn mind. You said not to fight, but now we're supposed to?'_

"We mustn't rely on them," came Dobe's voice. "They won't be able to do anything without fighting."

_'Ah, hell. Don't tell me he's going to try to reason with them.'_ He glanced sidelong at Irvine to see a pained expression on the sniper's face.

"I'll go talk to them."

_'He's so dead.'_

Dobe pushed past them and scurried up the walkway, then took a sharp turn left into the city.

"Opinions?"

"I hate to say it, but I think we should follow him," said Irvine. "At least maybe we can find out why Galbadian forces are here."

"Aw, man," Zell whined.

Squall resumed walking, only stopping when he spotted the mayor. To their left was a courtyard of sorts, fronting a train station. As the mayor was there, he moved a bit farther up the track and crouched at the edge. His teammates quickly crouched to either side of him.

_'Are they even after us?'_

"I already told you," said Dobe. "I've never heard of this girl Ellone. There is nobody here by that name."

_'Ellone!?'_

"Fine," said the soldier. "We'll just have to torch this city."

"Wait a minute!" cried Dobe. "I'm telling the truth! I've never seen the girl!"

"It doesn't matter, old man. We're gonna burn this place anyway. Edea's orders," the soldier said and laughed.

"No, please! I beg of you! Don't!"

"I'll start with you," the soldier said, then reached out and grabbed the mayor by the neck and lifted.

Squall exchanged looks with his teammates and nodded. "Let's go." They leapt down and advanced, catching the soldier's attention, and causing him to drop the mayor on his ass.

"Who the hell are you?"

"We're SeeDs."

"SeeDs!? Get the Iron Clad over here!"

Squall glanced at the mayor and said, "I'm sorry, but we have no choice," then spun around at the sound of footsteps directly behind them, quickly taking down the two encroaching soldiers with the help of Zell and Irvine.

"Squall, something's coming," Irvine said, his gazed aimed back the other way. "There!"

Farther up the track they had been on was a battered tank, which dropped down into the courtyard.

"We got a big one on our hands, baby!"

"A tank!? Let's destroy this thing!" Squall darted into range and readied himself. He felt relief when they managed to damage it so much that it shot backward and toppled over. As it teetered at the periphery of the courtyard, three figures leapt out, which pushed it over the edge and into the sea.

"Squall!"

_'The hell?'_ He looked closer, not believing his eyes. "It's really great to see you're all safe, but what were you doing in that thing?"

"We, uh, hitched a ride," Selphie said cheerfully, twirling around in place. "What happened to Garden?"

"Garden is safe. It's fine."

"Really!? Whoo-hoo!!"

"What happened to you guys?" he persisted.

"Let's talk about that later, okay?" Quistis said, giving him a meaningful look.

He nodded, unhappy, but understanding. "Irvine, Zell, why don't you guys take them back to Garden? I'll see you all later, after I take a look around."

But Rinoa hung back. "You know, you just surprised me. You looked and sounded so happy just then."

"Surprised? Did you knock your head during that trip? Of course I'm relieved to see that you three are all right. Is there something wrong with that?"

"No, no! There's nothing wrong. They're your comrades, but moreover, they're your friends."

"I'm sorry, did I just get volunteered for a psych session without being warned ahead of time? I thought we went over this already. Look, I don't have time for this right now. Please, let Irvine and Zell show you to Garden."

"I—aurrgh! Fine!" Rinoa flounced away in a huff.

Squall strapped his gunblade back into place and cradled his head in both hands. _'For the love of Hyne, what is with that woman!?'_ A deep breath later he straightened back up and walked over to the mayor, who had stood up some time in the interim.

"I guess you saved my life."

"Sorry for butting in, but even though they weren't here because of us, we couldn't just stand by as they carried out that threat."

"No... but I'm not thanking you."

"You don't have to. It's just that... I wish you could understand that we're not just a bunch of warmongers."

"Oh?"

"It's hard for me to explain. I wish... everything could be settled without resorting to violence. And there would be no need for battles. Like with your philosophy, it would be wonderful if things could be settled with discussion. The problem with that is not everyone is willing to listen, or take the time to talk things out, especially if you aren't dealing with the one in charge. So I believe that fighting is inevitable at times, which is sad. I think the world needs people both like you and us. Anyway, thank you for all your help. I'll leave you alone now."

He retreated back to the tracks and wandered around to see what amenities were available, but found nothing particularly appealing, so he shook his head and prepared to return to Garden.

Irvine was waiting for him at the top of the lift. "The headmaster gave the okay to let the technicians into Garden. They're in there right now."

"All right."

"Say..."

"Yeah?"

"I was wondering... Those technicians seem very handy. Do you think... it'd be all right if I asked them to fix some other stuff?"

He blinked. "Uh, so long as it doesn't interfere with the work on Garden, I suppose so. But I wouldn't ask for too much. If you're really unsure, though, I think you need to ask Cid."

"Mm."

On the walk over the remaining distance to Garden, Squall realized that Irvine was giving him sidelong looks. "What is it?"

"Well, Selphie's feeling down right now. I thought I should let you know, since you're... kind of like everybody's leader. You think maybe you could go talk to her? I'll come with you, to back you up."

_'What the hell.'_ "Where is she?"

"She's hanging out at the stage in the quad."

Which is exactly where they found her. "Whew, this is sooooo bad."

"Yeah. But it's been crazy. Crashing into FH..."

"You know, I really wanted to see a band perform on this stage," she said sadly. "I even had my eyes set on a few people, too. Oh well..."

"I'm sure you can still do something," he said, trying to be supportive.

Selphie shot him an odd look. "Squall... being sensitive? That's so weird. You're the last person I expected to cheer me up. I must really look depressed."

He frowned. "Well, the way I see it, you have a choice. Mope and accomplish absolutely nothing, or figure out a way to reach your goal, right?"

"Now that's more like it!" Selphie said with a grin.

"Whatever. Irvine, have fun. I'm outta here." He quickly removed himself, considering the idea of food yet again.

"Squall," Cid's voice came over the speakers, "this is the headmaster. Please come to my office."

_'What now?'_

It took several minutes reporting to Cid before he was finished.

"I see... I also heard a report from Selphie just a little while ago. She said the diary is open to everyone to see. Maybe you should have a look."

_'Diary?'_ Then he remembered. "Sir, one more thing. It appears that the Galbadians were searching for Ellone. That seemed to be their main objective in FH. I believe that Sorceress Edea is behind it."

Cid nodded, a thoughtful look on his face.

"And regardless of whether or not they found her, they had orders to burn down the city."

"That would reduce the number of potential places where she could hide," Cid observed. "Most likely, then, the sorceress will not stop this onslaught until Ellone is found. She will continue to hunt her, burning everything in her path. We can't wait any longer."

Cid moved to the microphone and switched it on. "This is Headmaster Cid. I have an announcement to make, important news I must share with all of you. Garden is being repaired right now, and we'll leave Fishermans Horizon when it's complete. We're going on a journey, a journey to defeat the sorceress, and Garden will now be used as a mobile base. The administration of Garden will be run by myself and the staff, as usual.

"However, this journey will involve many battles, and a well qualified leader is needed for this. Therefore, I am appointing Squall as the commander of the Balamb Garden forces. I repeat, from now on, Squall will be the commander of the Balamb Garden forces. He will decide our destination and battle plans."

_'The hell? Is he serious?'_

"Everyone, please follow his orders. If there are any objections, please come see me in person."

_'I don't even have a choice?'_

Cid switched the microphone back off and faced him. "Squall, we're under your command from now on. This is your fate. It is your destiny to lead the way in defeating the sorceress."

Squall slashed a hand down in an angry gesture. "Don't talk about this like it's been decided since my birth! I don't mind fighting the sorceress, but what qualified me for the role of commander? There are many more experienced SeeD than I."

Cid heaved a sigh and said, "I'm sorry, Squall, but that's something I can't answer."

"Can't? Or won't?" On seeing that he would get no answer he left, back to his room.

* * *

He reached the end of the book and sighed. He knew he shouldn't complain; at least he currently had the time to waste while trying to keep his mind off other things. Sighing again he set it aside and got up, deciding to walk around instead, or maybe even visit the training center.

As he emerged he spotted Zell, Quistis, and Rinoa, and while Rinoa stayed put, the other two dashed off.

"So what's up?" she asked. "You look so down. Come on, Squall, how old are you? You're still a teenager. Why don't you act like one for a change?"

_'Is she for real? And why is she all dressed up?'_

"Okay, come on. Let's go to the concert."

_'Concert?'_ "I don't really feel like it."

She placed her hands on her hips. "Fine. I guess I'll have to bug you for the rest of the night. I'll keep chanting 'concert' over and over and over again and drive you nuts. Is that what you want?"

He stifled a groan, suffering through a flashback of the SeeD ball.

"I'm getting to you already, huh? Looks like you have no choice!" She latched onto his arm and led him away.

When they got to the tracks Irvine looked over and smiled. "So she convinced you, eh?" The sniper pulled him off to the side and smirked, then whispered, "So like, I found this place. It's perfect for you guys."

Squall shot him a look of mild horror.

"It's by the stage," Irvine continued. "You can't miss it. I left an old magazine there. You can thank me later. Have fun. Just let it all out tonight."

"Are you quite done?"

"I might be there later with a special someone, too," Irvine confided, before strolling over to Selphie.

Squall touched his forehead and sighed. _'Urge to kill... rising. Well, let's get this over with. I'm sure they mean well, after all.'_ He headed down the walkway, adroitly avoiding Rinoa's grabby hands, and drifted to a stop in front of a newly constructed stage.

"Squall, you big stud!" Selphie yelled from center stage. "This is all for you! Congratulations! Enjoy the show! Rinoa, don't let him get away! Ready!? A-one, two, three..."

He listened for a little while, but the urge to _be_ somewhere crept up on him like fog. Squall made a casual scan of the area, his gaze backtracking when he realized there was someone standing not so far away, almost completely hidden in the shadows. He started to walk toward the person, but jerked to a halt when Rinoa grabbed his arm.

"Squall? Where are you going? They only just started."

He shook her hand off. "I'm not going far. There's something I need to do."

"Well what is it?"

"Rinoa, it's none of your concern, all right? Please enjoy the concert."

"But—"

He shook his head and stalked off, toward that shadowy figure. Up close he was able to study the person, a man. Longish dark hair, pale skin, and... were those green eyes? Whatever colour they were, those eyes blinked slowly at him, almost sleepily. The features meant absolutely nothing to him, but the sense of being near him... that was achingly familiar. "Can it be...?"

A brow arched questioningly.

_'Griever?'_

The man smirked.

"Is it really you?" he asked, reaching out hesitantly with one hand.

"You needed me," Griever said simply, his voice just like his mental one, lacking only the strange echoing quality.

Squall reached out and pulled Griever to him, enfolding him in a hug, emotions all over the place, and was overjoyed when Griever's arms came up to hug him back. "I... can't believe it. Everything is so messed up, but you're here? You're really here?"

"I assure you, I'm real." Griever pulled back a bit so he could look him in the eye. "You needed me, so I came. And I'll stay, if you'll have me."

"Yes," he breathed.

"How do you think people will react? Granted, you're the commander now."

"I don't care what they think. If they have a problem with you coming along, they can bite their tongues or find a _new_ commander."

Griever laughed softly, sending a shiver up Squall's spine. "Well, it's not like I can go back to where I was. I've been paroled."

Squall furrowed his brow in confusion. "Huh?"

"It's a very long story. I will tell you, but you have to promise to keep an open mind. However, I should point out that I can't access my sources any longer. That's lost to me."

"Why?"

Griever glanced off to the side for a moment. "I'd prefer to talk about those sorts of things in a more private place. How about we just enjoy the concert for now? They did manage to pull this together on really short notice."

Squall snorted softly and nodded. "Yeah, all right. I won't push for the moment, but later... _this_ time..."

"Whatever you say, my dear Squall."

He couldn't help the smile that erupted, which abruptly vanished on hearing Rinoa call, "Squall? What are you doing!?"

_'Was there a part in the contract that specifically forbade murdering the client?'_

Griever smirked again. _'Sorry, but I think that _would_ count as breech of contract, at the very least.'_ His eyes narrowed suddenly.

"Squall? What—who is this?"

He badly, badly wanted to lash out at her._ 'Can I...?'_

_'Introduce me in an absolutely scandalizing way? You bet.'_

Squall grinned wickedly for a second, then looked over his shoulder. "Griever, this is Rinoa, a current client of Garden. Rinoa, this is Griever, my long-time lover."

She paled and started backing away, then turned and fled.

_'Hm. Either she's against that sort of thing, or she was just bludgeoned over the head that you're really not available,'_ Griever commented. "Sorry, I'm not altogether used to speaking out loud."

"I don't care which you use, but people might give us some peculiar looks." He shrugged and reluctantly let go. "I guess, we should go listen where Selphie and the gang can actually see that I'm listening?"

"Lead on."

Back in front of the stage they folded themselves down to the ground rather than stand for so long. "Is there anything you'd need to pick up?"

"Hm? Oh, not really. I wasn't too keen on leaving anything important at the hotel. Besides, that's what portable pocket voids are for. I could keep a dragon in there and have room for plenty more."

He eyed Griever sidelong, trying to see if he was joking. "A dragon I could handle. A tonberry, however, we might have our first argument over."

Griever snickered and reached over to squeeze his knee. _'You're sure about this? Us?'_

_'Yes. I've felt like this for a long while.'_

_'I've loved you for years, Squall. I just didn't expect you to come to feel the same way. It makes me happy.'_

He smiled unreservedly, automatically making certain assumptions about the nature of love and timing. _'I don't think I've ever been this happy before.'_

Griever angled his head away from the stage to look at him. _'Don't think it'll all be terribly easy, though. I might snore, you know, or leave the cap off the toothpaste. Maybe I steal the covers? Oh, the horror!'_

Squall laughed openly and shook his head. _'Then I'd have something to whine about that isn't related to Cid saying stuff like I was fated to be the commander and lead the way to victory against the sorceress. You know, I so wanted to yell at him. I know, it's got to be tearing him up to order people to hunt down his wife. I know he understands reality, that if she's become evil something needs to be done. I wanted so badly to let him know that I know who Edea is, that she's matron, but I thought... it'd really be cruel of me, dumping that additional guilt on his shoulders. I just feel overwhelmed. This is a lot of people to take care of, and I have no idea where to start.'_

Griever leaned against him comfortingly._ 'Well, to start, remember that you've all been going through the same training, so that aspect of things isn't as big a concern. The headmaster has been overseeing training for a long time now, and he did say the administration would continue as usual, right? Perhaps there are some mundane things you should double-check, but...'_

_'Mundane?'_ he asked as he slipped an arm around Griever's shoulders. The music hiccupped as one of the roving spotlights passed over them, but then continued on normally.

_'Oh, you know, stuff like checking the inventory of consumables. Garden has been drifting for days now. Is there enough food for another journey? Medical supplies? Hell, paper for the bathrooms!'_

He laughed again._ 'Okay, I see. Xu seems to be something like Cid's assistant, so I could check with her. I can't imagine that FH would fail to have anything normal.'_

_'Right. And you know, you're not alone in this. You do realize that? Each of the people around you has specialties. Xu's might be administrative. Maybe Nida is an excellent spy or information specialist? Zell seems to have a mechanical bent. Do you see what I'm saying? If you know what your people can do, you can delegate wisely, and not think you have to do everything personally. I mean, you didn't try to do the sniper shot yourself! You trusted Quistis's team with the gate.'_

_'I hear you, I hear you. And I think we might be able to add munitions expert to the list with Selphie, though really, I think she just likes causing explosions.'_

Griever grinned. _'That's the spirit.'_

_'And what are you good at? Besides keeping me sane and being an incredible voice of wisdom.'_

_'I, uh, inherited a set of poisoned daggers, and I'm pretty quick on my feet, but I tend to favor using magic. Habit, really, and I can do more damage that way. I have a sword, too, but I'm not very good with it. That one's kind of an heirloom blade, anyway.'_

Squall frowned as the music came to a close and did not start up again. "Well, looks like the concert is over. Prepare for incoming," he said as he stood up, reaching out a hand to assist Griever. When the team approached he aimed a smile at them and said, "That was great guys."

They all seemed a bit shell-shocked, but Selphie recovered first and said, "Thanks, Squall! And... who's this?"

He slipped an arm around Griever's shoulders again and pulled him close. "This is Griever."

"Hello," Griever said softly. "Squall has told me much about you all. I'm pleased to finally meet you, but I admit, I feel almost like I already know you."

Quistis shifted her gaze to the hand Squall had placed on Griever's shoulder, her eyes widening a second later. "So...?"

Squall nodded. "Yes."

Zell had evidently caught up when he said, "Whoa! Griever's a person!?"

"The last time I checked," Griever said lightly. "Oh... you recognize the ring."

_'Never mind that I bought it, and named it and you at the same time.'_

Griever flashed a grin at him, then said, "You guys were really great! I wish I could do stuff like that, but I'm just awful when it comes to music."

"Come on, guys," Squall said. "It's late. We could always stop by the cafeteria and grab something to eat."

That occasioned another round of disbelieving looks, but everyone nodded and no one thought to object to Griever actually entering Garden, so off they went, crowding around the concession to place their orders. It wasn't until they were seated at one of the larger tables that Quistis suddenly frowned and said, "Where's Rinoa?"

"I thought she was still at the concert, but I don't know. The last time I saw her was when I introduced her to Griever." He shrugged and had a sip of his drink. _'I'm actually hungry for once,'_ he thought as he unwrapped his sandwich and took a hearty bite.

"Hm, maybe she went to bed?" Quistis mused.

"So!" Selphie said. "How long...?" She waggled her brows suggestively.

"Years, really," Griever said, not admitting and not denying.

Squall nodded and swallowed. "Seems like forever."

Griever snickered and busied himself with his own food, plucking a french fry out of the basket and popping it into his mouth.

"Quistis... now that the headmaster has lost his mind and promoted me to commander, do you know who I'd talk to about mundane stuff, like supply and procurement? As Griever pointed out we've been drifting for days, so I wanted to check to make sure that we're not lacking any essentials. It seemed a good time to check, while the repairs were ongoing."

"I, ah, I'm not really sure. But I would check with Xu. If anyone would know, she would."

"All right. I'll find her tomorrow, I guess. It might not be my direct concern, but it was on my mind. Anyway, it seems that the sorceress is after Ellone for some reason. I can't really figure why she'd have sent soldiers to FH, though, but Cid just nodded when I told him they were planning to torch the city. He said it would mean she had one less place to hide."

"Ellone... that girl from before, in the training center?" Quistis asked.

"Yes."

"Well, she went off with Edea's SeeDs, on their ship," Irvine said.

Selphie paused with her drink halfway to her mouth. "Huh!? Edea, as in Sorceress Edea?"

"Yeah," Zell said. "We found out earlier that Cid and Edea are married, and it was her idea to create Garden and SeeD. I guess she had a special group of SeeD, too, that none of us knew about until just now."

"And... and... she went batshit insane at some point and lost her memory? And, oh! Poor Headmaster Cid! He must be in terrible pain!"

"Don't bug him about it, okay?" Squall said. "He's having a really hard time because of all this. I think it'd only make him feel worse if any of us were to try to make him talk about it. He's doing what he must, even if it breaks his heart."

Quistis turned a teary-eyed gaze on him. "You really do care..."

Squall frowned and had another bite of his sandwich, then relaxed when Griever's hand patted his thigh under the table.

"Oh, Squall cares all right," Irvine said lazily. "You just have to know how to interpret what you're seeing and hearing."

"That's right!" Selphie chimed in. "But I don't know about this smiling stuff, Squall. It's kind of scary."

He snorted and nodded at Griever. "Blame him. He brings out the worst in me."

Griever cuffed him playfully, then got a wicked gleam in his eyes. "I'll take any blame if it means I get to see you smile."

Squall groaned softly and palmed his forehead in embarrassment. "Whatever." He concentrated on finishing off his sandwich as Griever began asking the others various questions, taking their attention away from him. Eventually, though, he had to stifle a yawn and realized it was time to have a long overdue conversation. "Hey, we have unfinished business to take care of." Selphie squealed, which puzzled him, but he ignored that and stood up, sliding his tray off the table.

Griever nodded and rose as well. "I guess I'll see you all again later. It was fun."

* * *

Posted: 02 April 2008  
Updated:

* * *


	5. Incurso

**Notes**: And the story goes downhill from here. Praise be! A 'major' battle has been completely reworked. We hate them all anyway. Death to peasants!

* * *

— Convergence: 05: Incurso —

* * *

He felt almost strange bringing Griever to his room, even though his friend knew it as well as he did. At least now he had a room to himself, not one shared with another student. "Well, this is it," he said rather lamely, taking the time to put his gunblade in its case and remove his jacket.

Griever smiled and sat on the edge of the bed, the only available surface aside from a desk. "So, I guess it's time for a story?"

"Yeah." He sat down as well, then leaned over to begin removing his boots. "I really would like to know."

Griever sighed. "Remember, keep an open mind. Way open. This isn't so hard to explain, but it is difficult to believe."

Squall set his boots off to the side and sat up, then scooted back so he could use the wall for support. "You might as well get comfortable."

Griever nodded and toed off his shoes, and scooted back as well. "This story starts a very long time ago."

"In a galaxy far, far away?" he quipped.

"You slay me with your humor," Griever said dryly. "It was a very long time ago, so far back that I have no real idea of how many years. Thousands, certainly. The year I was born in would have no meaning to you. But I like to think I've aged well, and I was asleep for a lot of those years. I was born in a time when there were two kinds of people. Those with inherent magic, and those without. The ones without vastly outnumbered us that did, and at some point, maybe a thousand years before I was born, the magical people withdrew and hid, forming their own society, mainly due to fear of persecution or death.

"Anyway, a prophecy was made before I was even born, speaking of the one who would be destined to defeat a great evil. Unfortunately, I fit that, but so did another boy. The evil—a rather psychotic man—was told part of that prophecy by one of his people, and set out, once he had an idea of who it might refer to, to eliminate them."

"Is that how you lost your parents?"

"Yes, exactly. They died trying to protect me, and with my mother's death, her willing sacrifice, something strange and amazing happened. When the guy attempted to kill me as well, his magic backfired and ripped him from his body, leaving him... a spirit, I guess. After that I was known for being the only person to ever have survived that particular curse, and for having 'defeated' the man. He had been terrorizing people, you see, he and his minions. A kind of war."

"Who was he?"

"He called himself Voldemort. One of the things that most frightened him was the idea of dying, so he took steps to protect himself against it, which is why he wasn't killed when his spell backfired. So, fast forward nearly ten years. I had been placed with my aunt, a woman who hated magic. It was a very lonely childhood. But when I turned eleven I received a letter from the same school my parents had gone to, a school for magic. For the next six years I went there, learning how to properly use and control my magic, and along the way fighting that same spirit, Voldemort.

"He was able to regain a body when I was nearly fifteen, due to a ritual. I found out when I was sixteen how he had managed to protect himself against death, and it was horrifying, a way to split one's soul and bind those pieces to objects. So long as they existed he could never truly die, and the sundering of his soul made him something less than human. But I and my friends hunted those objects down and destroyed them during what would have been my seventh and final year, including one which wasn't an object at all, but a creature. And I thought, we can finally end this..."

"I take it it wasn't so simple?"

"Not hardly. All through that time, until the end of my sixth year of school, I had the headmaster. A great wizard, though as you know, someone who regularly made me want to tear out my hair in frustration. He was killed at the end of the year, something I was forced to witness. But he left behind a portrait of himself, a magical portrait. That meant I could still speak to him, as it retained his personality and memories. And he told me something that caused me despair. When Voldemort tried to kill me, and the spell backfired, it lodged a piece of his soul in me."

"So you had to die," Squall stated.

"Yes, when I was just shy of eighteen. We had a huge battle. I knew I had to die, but I wasn't going to make it easy. I made him work for it, damn it. So, he managed to hit me with that spell again, and that time..."

"So how is that you're actually alive?"

Griever shrugged. "I'm not sure even I quite understand that part. I ended up in a train station of all places, but I suppose it makes sense in a metaphorical way. The headmaster was there, and he told me it was up to me if I stayed dead or not, that my willing sacrifice was a means to destroy the soul shard, to open the way for Voldemort's defeat. Well, I'll admit, I was terrified of the idea of being dead, even though I thought, maybe, I could finally see my parents, but... I wanted to live.

"So I was sent back. But while I was having that thrilling little interlude in limbo, Voldemort banished my body to an area on the planet that had some seriously peculiar properties. In the ocean. Ships would lose their way around there, radar wouldn't work properly, people would disappear and never be seen again, stuff like that. I found myself encased in some kind of crystal. And a voice spoke to me, to explain, and told me it liked me and had decided to keep me for a while."

"A while?" Squall asked incredulously.

"I think of that voice, that entity, as being the planet itself, like a deity."

"Like Hyne?"

Griever laughed at that, shaking his head. "No. Hyne is nothing like what you've been led to believe. That's what I meant by victory being written by the winners, and how truth gets blurred with time. Anyway, are you still with me, or have you decided I'm a complete nutcase with a fantastic imagination?"

Squall shifted at a right angle and propped the pillow up behind him, his new position giving him a proper view of Griever's face. He tucked one leg beneath him and let the other dangle over the edge. "You're right, of course, it's all very like some faery tale, but I can't bring myself to disbelieve you. I'm sure you'll be able to provide some kind of proof, in any case. And even if you are a nutcase, you're my nutcase."

Griever smiled softly. "Okay. And I will show you, in a bit. My concept of magic overlaps yours, but it's not the same. Anyway, Hyne. Fast forward I don't know how many years. I slept a lot, like I said, sort of passively absorbing information. Somewhere along the way problems started up again between mages and non-mages. People, scientists, started experimenting with mages they had captured, or even on ones who agreed to be studied.

"Hyne was instrumental in a breakthrough to give the power of magic to non-mages. He created the sorceress phenomenon. For some reason that method only worked on females. In any case, it produced women who could command magic, but it wasn't actually theirs, and could be passed on to another. In fact, those powers were forcibly passed on at death. As far as I can tell there was a war over it.

"A lot of mages were killed during that time, and those who were left tended to be the weak ones. I think over time what happened is that they continued to live their lives, under the radar, and had children, who had children... and they all had some ability, but the strongest lines had been wiped out. Which brings us to what you call para-magic."

Squall furrowed his brow and considered. The shattering of legend was difficult to accept, but it sort of made sense how it was possible for many people to wield at least some magic, without ever having a GF. He already knew it was possible, and had certainly witnessed it many times. Seifer was particularly good with fire-based magic, for example. Then he remembered something. "Absorbed? Your sources?"

Griever nodded. "Think of the absorbing as kind of like using Scan, but it's passive and ongoing. Something about my situation allowed me to learn things about the world without really trying, but it was never necessarily sharp details. As for my sources, well... I could request information from anyone who had died. But now that I'm... here... I can't do so anymore."

He gave that a lot of consideration, as well, then said, "Which would explain why you're so vague at times. It's not just because you want to be."

"Yeah. For instance, I can tell you that the war between Esthar and Galbadia ended because Adel was subdued somehow. But the person who was able to tell me that wasn't aware of the details. I was limited by the limitations of my sources. It's why I can say I'm pretty sure that Laguna is your father, because I've spoken, so to speak, to Raine, who I'm pretty sure is your mother. I _am_ certain they were in love."

"But you can't know what happened, because she doesn't either, is that right?"

Griever nodded. "I know it's unfair of me, but I still hope you'll give the man a chance, should you meet him. I never really knew my parents. The only memories I have of them are... sadly unpleasant."

He blinked in confusion, certain he was missing something. "But you could speak with the dead."

"Ah, well, people don't stay dead. After a time, and how long that is varies greatly, every living thing that has died is reborn. And once that happens, they retain nothing of their previous life. By the time I was in any position to understand what I could do, it was far too late for myself. Raine had not moved on by the time I came to know you and sent out a request for information."

He nodded slowly, then decided to backtrack. "Can you show me? _Your_ magic, I mean."

"Sure. Um..." Griever looked around the room, for what Squall wasn't sure, then arched a brow and rummaged in a pouch attached to his belt. Impossibly, he pulled from it a page-sized box. "Some of the stuff I can do mimics what you can do now, so I won't really bother with that. You know, like being able to silence someone."

Griever reached into the box and removed a piece of paper, then set the box aside and slid off the bed, moving over to the desk. He spent a few minutes folding the paper, eventually ending up with what looked like a bird of sorts. "Origami," he said, then set the bird down and made a slight gesture.

Before Squall's eyes the construct fluttered its wings and took off, to fly in circles around the room before coming to a landing again. Another gesture transformed it into an actual bird, which did the exact same thing, though it warbled out a song, too. A third gesture returned it to the paper version.

"That's... amazing. What else can you do?"

Griever came to sit on the bed again and shrugged. "It's all second nature to me. It's easier if you suggest something."

For the life of him, he couldn't think what.

Griever shrugged again. "I can banish things so long as I can visualize where I want them to go, or summon them if I know where they are. I can become invisible, temporarily change my features, animate things, use magic offensively and defensively, some healing... Essentially, I'm a sorcerer in your terms, but with fewer limitations, and my magic is wholly my own. The only way I could hope to pass it on would be the old fashioned way, by having children, and even then it's not guaranteed. And, I would still retain mine." He closed the box and tucked it back into his pouch.

"Ah, I know!" Griever said and slid off the bed again. He aimed a wicked smile at Squall and gestured. The room doubled in size in that second. Another gesture doubled the size of the bed. "Convenient, huh?"

Squall latched onto the only thing he could handle at that moment, and said, "Is that a hint?"

"Maybe? I admit, I am kind of tired. That sounds strange considering where I've been, but..."

"It's been a tiring day," Squall said agreeably, suddenly rather uncertain of how to go about things. "You want the bathroom first?"

"Okay." Griever disappeared into the tiny bathroom.

Squall fetched out his sleepwear and quickly changed, dumping that day's clothes in the pull-out hamper on one wall. He glanced at the bed, belatedly realizing that it was far too large for the coverings on it.

Griever emerged, dressed almost identically to him, with just a pair of loose sleep pants on, and furrowed his brow. "Oh, I should fix that. Or, would you prefer I put it back and make a second bed?"

"I think we just need another pillow and bigger coverings," he said softly, then retreated to the bathroom and quickly went through his usual evening routine. Back in the room he nodded at the changes, trying not to spend too much time staring at the half naked man in his room.

"Kind of awkward, huh? " Griever said. "It's not like I've ever shared a bed with anyone before. Inside or outside?"

"It doesn't matter."

Griever pulled back the covers and slipped underneath, shifting until he was closest to the wall, then eyed him.

Squall flipped off the light and got into bed, then turned on his side, to face his dearest friend. "_Do_ you snore?" he asked curiously, and was rewarded with an amused snort. "Can I... kiss you?"

"Yes," Griever said a bit breathlessly. "I'll warn you, though. I'm not exactly experienced."

"And I am?" he whispered, then shifted closer, slowly moving to brush his lips to his friend's. When he met no resistance he shifted again, this time to lie back and pull Griever half on top of him. His hands reached up to cradle his friend's head and pull him closer so they could kiss again.

Griever parted his lips, warm breath washing over his own, and Squall did the same so he could do something he had seen before but never tried, having had no one he wished to ever experiment with. He slid his tongue out and ran it along his friend's lower lip, then dipped into his mouth, somewhat surprised at the velvety sensation he encountered.

Griever groaned softly and angled his head a bit to the side, then began moving his tongue as well, with just as much uncertainty. Perversely, it gave him confidence; if he was going to make mistakes, Griever probably would as well, out of the same ignorance. He felt a brief sense of agreement in his head, but let the thought slip away, disdaining the abstract for the concrete reality of them exploring each other's mouths.

His friend—his lover?—pulled away after a while, breathing heavily, and flopped onto his back, so Squall rolled onto his side to look at him, the moonlight streaming in the window gilding Griever's dark hair with silver. Griever blinked a few times and laughed quietly, then said, "Now I understand why I kept catching people making out in the common room, oblivious to the world around them."

He was moved to smile. "I do... love you," he whispered, and leaned in for a brief, chaste kiss. "Was it you that day? In the prison?"

It took a few seconds for Griever to respond; he seemed to be lost in a moment. "Er... Oh, you mean when you were being tortured? Yes. And that's why I disappeared for a while. I rather overreached myself and had to recover."

"Thank you. We should probably sleep, huh? You're tired."

Griever nodded agreeably and turned away, then pressed back against him. Squall slowly slid his arms around his friend and closed his eyes, a faint smile stubbornly refusing to leave his lips as he molded himself to Griever and attempted to quiet his mind enough for sleep. It was some time before Squall actually drifted off.

The next morning he was awoken to the sound of someone squawking over the PA system. "Squall! Squall! Please report to the bridge immediately."

_'What now? Every time I turn around someone is yelling my name.'_

_'Commander stuff, I expect,'_ Griever said sleepily.

"If I have to get up, so do you. I'm not letting you out of my sight."

"Okay," Griever whispered, "but it's under protest. I am very comfortable right now."

Squall grinned and detached himself, rolling out of bed and heading for the bathroom. By the time he emerged Griever was ready for his turn. Ten minutes later they were on their way, and arrived to find Quistis, Xu, and Nida there.

"Greetings, commander!"

He shot a slightly sullen look at Quistis.

"Sorry to carry things out on our own, but Xu and I assigned some duties."

"I'll take care of all the supplies needed in Garden," Xu said.

Squall looked back at Quistis. "Ah, is that in regard to what I mentioned last night?"

Quistis nodded. "And I'll take care of the students with Dr Kadowaki. You can just focus on our destination and battle plans. And, ah... Will you let Selphie rest a while? I think she's exhausted from the missile base mission. How does that sound to you?"

"It's fine. Oh, sorry. Xu, Nida, this is Griever. He'll be going with us," he said, his expression daring anyone to object.

Quistis adopted a look of intense concentration, not unlike Xu, while Nida simply smiled and said, "Nice to meet you, Griever. By the way, Squall, the FH technicians have finished the repairs. They've also installed a new piloting system, and they taught me everything about it, so unless you've an objection, I can take care of that aspect of things. You just need to let me know when and where we need to go."

Quistis snapped out of her reverie and said, "Any thoughts on where we should go?"

"Hey," Xu said, "why don't we go back to Balamb? We don't know what's happened since we left, and besides, Balamb may be a target. It's a harbor town, just like FH."

"Good point," he said. "Xu, do you know if anyone else was given permission to enter FH, that might be in town right now?"

She looked thoughtful for a moment, then shook her head. "Only your team was given blanket permission. Others were allowed on scheduled visits in groups, but no one's been authorized yet for today. We have had people stationed at the second floor deck to keep an eye on things, as well."

"Then it's just the team in question. Xu, our supplies are fine?" When he got a nod he said, "Nida, prepare for departure, destination Balamb. Go ahead and announce it, but we won't leave until I've had a chance to check at the deck. I'll either return personally or send a messenger."

"Yes, sir!"

He and Griever had just exited the lift when he heard Nida on the PA, saying, "May I have your attention, please. This is the bridge. Garden will be leaving FH soon. Please prepare for departure. I repeat..."

The people on deck duty informed Squall that no one had left Garden that morning, and no one had stayed out overnight, so they were clear to depart. He gave them leave to quit the deck as soon as they were underway, then headed back to the lift with Griever.

_'What I wouldn't give for a few dozen mobile phones.'_

_'It would just make things easier if all SeeDs had one. I'll have to look into the cost.'_ He glanced over. "Interested in taking a stroll through the training center?"

"Can we eat first?"

He nodded, and not seeing anyone he could use as a messenger, he detoured back up to the bridge long enough to tell Nida to depart in ten minutes, then went with Griever to the cafeteria. They were seated when he asked quietly, "What you did last night, to the room. That didn't affect anything else, I take it?"

"No," Griever said, then added,_ 'It's called wizard space, or mage space. It's all very complicated, but it has no appreciable effect on surrounding, unaltered space. The trunks we used for school are an example. The internal volume was twice or more that of the external dimensions. More advanced trunks actually had multiple, overlapping compartments, some of which were room sized. And, mage tents tend to be massively larger on the inside than out, frequently resembling a small apartment.'_

Squall blinked. Para-magic was infantile in comparison, but he was still grateful for it.

_'I hadn't considered it before, but I wonder now if Hyne had anything to do with the existence of Guardian Forces. Ah, well, what would life be without some mystery involved?'_

"Hm."

Zell wandered over with a tray in his hand and sat down. "Mornin'! So where we headed?"

"Balamb. If that's a bust, we'll just try elsewhere. However, it's a harbor town, and it's practically next door to Galbadian-occupied territory." He glanced at Zell's tray and snorted. "How did you manage to score hot dogs at this hour?"

"Give it up, man, it's sausage!"

"We're going to the training center shortly. You want to come?"

"Nah, I, ah"—Zell got a bit shifty-looking around the eyes—"got something to do in the library."

"Oookay. I'm not actually sure how fast Garden can move, but be prepared for when we do arrive at Balamb."

"You betcha! Gotta see ma, anyway. She worries, you know?"

They were joined by Selphie and Irvine, and then a minute later by Rinoa, all of them bearing trays of their own. Squall noticed that Rinoa was very quiet, but declined to press for reasons, instead finishing up his breakfast and occasionally adding a comment of his own to the conversation.

Griever was ready by the time he was done, so he prepared to leave, but remembered Quistis's request. For the life of him he could not think of a way to phrase things just then, so he deferred the talk, intending to make it clear to her when they arrived that she was on optional duty for a while.

He waved an absent goodbye and dropped off his tray, then followed his friend out._ 'I guess I don't have to tell you to play normal with the magic, huh?'_

Griever snorted in amusement. _'I can behave myself. Besides, I'm not fond of the idea of scaring people. Just be ready to save my ass if I make a fool of myself. It's been a long time since I've actually used my daggers combatively.'_

_'Well, as a reminder, grats can put you to sleep,'_ he said as they turned down the hallway to the training center.

_'Not an issue. Without going into too much detail, let's just say the entity was fond of me and gave me some gifts before she shunted me to Fishermans Horizon.'_

As they passed through the gate he shot back, _'I can hope at least one of those gifts was money for the hotel room?'_

Griever laughed and nodded. "Okay. Let's see how rusty I am."

He wasn't so bad, but it was obvious to Squall that Griever was a bit stiff at first, frequently resorting to magic until he became more comfortable. Griever was correct, though, when he said he could deal more damage with his spells.

"I need to get some boots," Griever complained at one point, gazing mournfully at his shoes, which had suffered quite a lot from grat vine-tentacles.

"I'll requisition some from supply," Squall promised, then frowned when the roar of a T-Rexuar came from nearby. "You up for that?"

"Uh... I know you can handle one on your own, so sure."

Quite a while later they were out on the second floor deck; land could be seen in the distance, letting Squall know they were nearly there. What they would find, however... "It's up to you if you want to help fight or if you'd rather play a support role. You can obviously handle yourself, even without showing all your cards."

Griever nodded. "I'll play it by ear."

"Well, I need to talk to Selphie. I wonder where she is." Squall turned and headed back to the hallway.

"The quad, or a classroom?" Griever suggested. "She might be working on that diary thing Cid mentioned."

They located her seated at a console in one of the classrooms. "Hey."

"Hi, guys! I was inputting some of those articles Sir Laguna wrote into the computer."

_'Lovely.'_ "Selphie, listen. I know that the missile base mission might have been hard on you, so I wanted to let you know that you're on optional duty when we arrive at Balamb. Shortly, actually. It's not that I think you _need_ a break, just that you might want one."

She gave him a funny look. "I think I'll pass on going into town. Working on these entries is helping me to keep my mind off things."

Squall nodded. "Then I'll leave you to it," he said and went to join his friend, who had tactfully waited by the door.

* * *

Garden, it seemed, could travel just as well on land as water, though it was hindered by forested areas. Nida guided it in obliquely, hitting land well away from the town so as to lessen the chances of being spotted should anything nefarious be afoot, which only made sense.

Squall and the team (minus Quistis and Selphie) followed the beach until town came into view, then angled up to meet the road so they could enter Balamb. Galbadian occupation was immediately evident; not only were there soldiers on guard, but the road was blockaded as well, frustrating a number of denizens who had been prevented from entering.

On approaching one of the soldiers the man said in almost a bored tone, "This town is under the control of Sorceress Edea, and is off-limits while we conduct our investigation, which will last for several days."

When they failed to leave the soldier eyed them and declared, "You guys look suspicious. What are you doing here? What do you want? Are you residents here?"

"Yeah, that's right!" said Zell. "At least residents should be allowed in!"

"It's off-limits. You cannot enter or leave," the soldier insisted, then added in a patronizing tone, "Do you understand?"

"Hah! Who do you think you're talkin' to?"

"What? What is it now?" He seemed irritated, probably because others who had tried were too intimidated to persist.

"Does that mean we can't deliver a message, either?" Squall asked. "That's too bad. We have some information on Ellone..."

"W-what? Elle—wait a minute! Tell me everything you know about her! Do you actually know who she is?"

"Kind of," he replied, "but we need to get inside to confirm something."

The soldier seemed torn, but finally said, "If you find out any information at all, go talk to the commander. She's staying at the hotel. You'll be rewarded."

He stepped aside and allowed them entrance, so they surged by before he could change his mind. Zell led them at a trot down the street and turned into one of the homes. "Ma, I'm home!" he called, then looked around in confusion. "Huh?" He glanced into a kitchen nook, then dashed through an archway into another room. "Ma, you're safe!"

"Zell!" An older woman stepped forward and eyed Zell up and down. "How on earth did you get into town?"

"It's all in the brains, ma. We just said we had some info on Ellone. Simple!"

"What a relief. I was worried you might have beaten up one of the guards. The soldiers have threatened that the sorceress will burn the town to the ground should there be any disturbance."

"Sorceress Edea?" Squall said. "Is she here?"

Mrs Dincht shrugged. "I noticed a woman with the Galbadian army. Grey hair, patch over one eye..."

"Sounds like Fujin," Squall said. "If she's here..."

"Leave it to me!" Zell declared. "I'll get rid of those jokers!"

"The guard said the hotel, so we'll begin there," Squall ordered.

Two Galbadian soldiers were on guard at the hotel entrance, and did not seem pleased to see them. "What do you want? If it's the commander you're looking for, we have strict orders not to let anyone through."

"We have information about Ellone."

"What? Ellone? Hmm, more rumors?"

"You know that we'll get a salary cut if we let 'em through without confirmation," the second soldier warned.

"Yeah, I know. In this army your salary gets cut based on how the boss is feeling. I guess it goes with the territory when you can't choose your own boss."

An impatient Zell said, "Yo, listen! We have top secret info! Bring the commander out here!"

"These guys are kinda... suspicious, eh?" The solider shook his head. "No entry! You'd need to speak with the captain first. He's currently on patrol."

_'It's not a big town, but... Wait, this is Raijin and Fujin we're talking about. If Fujin's the commander, then Raijin is the captain, and he always wastes time fishing if he can get away with it.'_ He motioned to his team and took the path around the hotel, heading for the docks. Querying the soldiers there revealed that the captain had been by recently and had caught several fish.

They backtracked, trailed by a dog that had been hanging around, and then followed it (as it seemed to be trying to lead them somewhere) into the train station. The dog bypassed the soldiers and scampered into the train, barking loudly the whole time, and very quickly Raijin emerged from a door further up, cursing, and then ran off.

Squall sighed as they exited the station and considered.

"The hotel again?" Rinoa suggested. "He might be reporting in."

"Mm. Let's."

When they arrived the two soldiers were eavesdropping at the entrance, and quickly shushed them. "Hey, stand back," one hissed. "This could be dangerous. The commander's just about to—whoa!" He and his companion dove to either side as the doors burst open and Raijin tumbled out.

"Yeow! Ouch... Fujin, control your temper, you know? I was patrollin', just like you told me. I even woke up that search dog, sleepin' on the job, you know? You guys help me out here! We've gotta calm Fujin down, you know?"

"Raijin," Zell bellowed.

"Wooooow! What are you guys doin' here!?"

"We're here to liberate Balamb, you know?" Zell said. "I mean, uh... We're here to liberate Balamb!

"Seifer told us to give you a whoopin' if we saw you, you know! You soldiers help me out, too!"

"You'll pay for this," Zell shouted and danced into position. The fight was over fairly quickly, so they dashed through the then unguarded entrance and confronted Fujin. "Pack your bags and get the hell out of Balamb!"

"Raijin, defeated?"

"That's right, baby! Now, where's Seifer and the sorceress!? You're all goin' _down_!"

"Zell, calm down," Squall ordered. "Fujin, looks like you're on your own. Are you still willing to fight?"

"Rage!"

Loud laughter came from outside. "She's not alone!" Raijin rushed in and took position next to his fellow posse member. "Major comeback, you know! Actually, I feel a lot better. I feel invincible, you know!"

"So be it," Squall said and lifted his gunblade. Fujin had some nasty attacks, and together they were more of a threat, but the duo was still taken down, ending up looking exhausted.

"Are the two of you taking orders from the sorceress?" Squall inquired.

"Negative!"

"The sorceress has nothin' to do with us, you know? We're actin' on our own! We're on Seifer's side, you know!"

"That's up to you, but, enough is enough. This isn't an internal Garden conflict. It's not a game."

"We can't back out, you know..."

"Negative."

"Seifer has a lot of followers, but we're his only friends," Raijin explained. "We're a posse, you know? The Galbadian soldiers are only listenin' to Seifer 'cause they fear the sorceress. Without us, Seifer wouldn't have a posse, you know...?"

"If you guys stand behind him that much," Zell said, "then tell frickin' Seifer to stop this nonsense!"

"Affirmative!"

"We ain't no sell-outs! We're behind Seifer all the way, you know!?"

_'That girl gives me such a headache.'_ Squall heaved a quiet sigh. "Okay. Understood. So you want nothing to do with Garden now? Look, I admire your loyalty to Seifer, but from now on we won't hold back. Prepare yourselves for that eventuality."

"You're just going to let them go?" Rinoa asked incredulously.

"Don't wanna... talk anymore, you know. Kinda painful... you know."

"Wimp!" Fujin kicked Raijin in the shin and barked, "Run!" And they did, out of the hotel.

The team stuck around town, spending the night at the hotel, and saw the next morning that Galbadian forces were retreating, which may or may not have had something to do with the commander and captain. That assured, Squall ordered a retreat of their own, back to Garden.

They were walking toward the turnstiles when Quistis and Selphie appeared, so Squall briefly filled them in.

"Where are we going next?" Quistis asked as they paused at the directory.

"S'cuse me!" Selphie said. "Um, can we maybe go to Trabia Garden? It's like... in the mountains, so maybe the sorceress will leave it alone. But maybe... You know?"

_'Is she forgetting that...? Oh, right. Of course she'd want to go.' _"I don't think we'll find the sorceress there, but... yes, we can make a brief stop at Trabia Garden."

"Thanks, Squall," Selphie said and dashed off to points unknown.

"Quistis, please let Nida know our destination and authorize an immediate departure. On arrival he can have the team assemble at the gate. Uh, call it the core team, all right? It's easier than constantly calling out a series of names. Aside from that, nobody leaves Garden without express permission."

"I'm on it."

"We're on standby until we arrive. Dismissed." He felt Griever take his hand and pull him away, obediently following as they went to the dorms and the privacy of his room. After dropping onto the bed he said, "We could check out Dollet and Timber, but..."

Griever chose to lean against the desk. "If you can't think of anything else by the time we reach Trabia, then I don't see why not. Dollet might be tempting because Galbadian forces pulled out, and Timber is tempting simply because they haven't. The sorceress obviously doesn't remember her white SeeDs, so she'd be trying to figure out the logic behind where Ellone might be hiding based on what she does know."

"Hn. I wonder if I should ask Xu if the headmaster's all right. Haven't seen him in a while. But I guess... he's off somewhere coping, or administrating. Something."

"I wonder..."

"Hm?"

"Cid said that Balamb Garden used to be a shelter. Of what sort, who knows, though I think they might be related to the old Centra civilization. But it's rather similar to Galbadia Garden, so I imagine Trabia would be also. I just wonder if there are other shelters like these out there. If Trabia has been demolished, well... But I know it's more about the people, not the structure."

"I guess we'll see when we get there. Maybe after all of this is over we could look into it." He laid flat and stared at the ceiling. "Come here?"

Griever pushed away from the desk and took a seat on the bed. "What is it?"

"I just prefer you to be near, that's all."

"Hm." Griever reached down to remove his boots, then removed Squall's. "Sit up, back against the wall."

When he had Griever sat in between his legs and rested against him. Squall smiled and wrapped his arms around him, then allowed his eyes to close, simply enjoying the warmth of Griever's body against his. They were both dragged to attention some time later by chimes sounding over the PA, then, "This is the bridge. We have arrived at our destination. Core team assemble at the main gate. All other personnel are reminded that they may _not_ leave Garden without permission. I repeat..."

"I guess relaxation time is over," Griever said sleepily, then gently unwrapped Squall's arms and slid off the bed. He took a seat to the side and began to pull his boots back on.

Squall quickly followed suit despite his lethargy, and soon they were on their way to meet the others. He could not quite decide if he was surprised that Rinoa had decided to include herself. Either she thought she ought to be included, or simply assumed she would be, rather like she had with Balamb.

"Be prepared," was all he said before he led them out. As they approached Trabia Garden it was clear the missiles had not missed.

Selphie took the lead, coming to a stop at a set of locked gates. "A direct... hit?"

"Man, this really pisses me off," Zell growled.

Selphie looked over her shoulder at Squall. "I'm going in."

He nodded. "Be careful."

She made her way over to a section off to the side and began climbing up some netting that had blown over the outer wall, quickly disappearing over the top. They followed one at a time, mindful that the netting might not be able to bear too much weight at one time, and headed down a cracked walkway on the other side.

It was a dismal sight all told, the destruction that had been wrought, but there were people who had survived. Some were injured, with others taking care of them. Some students were attempting to get the computer system back online. Others were keeping an eye on the younger students and keeping them distracted.

They eventually found their way to a ruined basketball court, where Selphie had asked them to wait, at which point Squall said, "It doesn't seem like Galbadia has come here. I'm not sure they will. They might be trusting that the missiles made that a moot point."

"A tough call," said Irvine. "They might, but people might be sent to make sure, or at least to see if there's anything left to take over."

"Unfortunately, we can't stay here to protect them. They seem to be getting back on their feet, though."

A half-deflated basketball bounced sadly across the ground and Selphie appeared, moving carefully so as not to trip over the shattered terrain. "Sorry to keep you waiting. Thanks so much for coming all the way out here, everyone."

"Cheer up, eh?" Irvine said.

"Thanks. I want to get even with the sorceress. I want my revenge!"

"Um, do we... have to fight?" Rinoa asked. "Isn't there another way? Y'know, to avoid any bloodshed?"

"What the—?" Zell stared at her as though she was crazy. "What are you sayin' all of a sudden!?"

"Maybe someone really smart can come up with a way, so we wouldn't have to fight anymore..."

"Hn. That would be nice, I admit," Squall said, ignoring when most everyone looked at him strangely. "You were a part of a resistance movement. Unlike others who were all talk, you took to your weapons and fought. But you don't _have_ to fight. It's true that Garden's present mission and the one you contracted for currently amount to almost the same thing, but you as the client do not have to fight. We of Garden, however, do and will. The only other option is to quit Garden and let those who remain handle things. That's the primary reason why Garden exists, to fight the sorceress. To deny that is to deny our purpose."

Rinoa looked dejected. "I guess... I'm just scared. Sometimes, when I'm with all of you, I feel like we're all on the same wavelength, you know? But when the battles start happening, it's different. Everyone's tempo seems to pick up and... I get left behind. I try to catch up, but it feels futile. And I wonder, is everyone safe? Will they be all right? Will we all make it back together? When I start thinking like that..."

Irvine tipped his hat back and crouched to pick up the basketball. "Rinoa, I understand. Someone might not be there. Someone you love may disappear before your very eyes. It's tough when you live your life thinking that way. But that's why I fight. When I was a little kid, about four or so, I was in an orphanage."

He aimed and took a shot, planting the ball through the hoop. "Plenty of kids, all with no parents... It was around the end of the Sorceress War, so I guess it couldn't be helped. Anyway, out of all the kids there, one was very special to me, someone that I'd fight to protect, especially if they couldn't protect themselves, you know?"

Selphie adopted a thoughtful look, tapping a finger to her lips. "Was that orphanage... a stone house?"

Irvine nodded, a slight smile on his face.

"By the ocean?" Quistis asked quickly.

"Yep. I knew right away when we first met."

"Heeeey, why didn't you tell us!?"

"Yes, why didn't you?" Quistis said.

"'Cause you seemed to have forgotten," Irvine said with a sidelong glance at Squall. "It just kinda sucked that I was the only one who seemed to remember. Spunky little Sefie and bossy little Quisty... among others."

"This is just soooo weird," Selphie murmured.

"Others?" said Zell.

Squall shifted and planted a hand on his hip. "Yeah, others. Irvine, Selphie, Quistis. And... Zell, myself, and Seifer. You were all taken away, adopted probably, all of you except Seifer and me. We went straight to Garden."

Zell gawked at him and Selphie opened her mouth to speak, but Quistis beat her to it. "You knew!? All this time you knew this? Why didn't you say anything?"

Squall shrugged. "I'll tell you what I told Irvine, once I realized he did remember. By the time you came to Garden you'd already forgotten, you and Zell. I was a stranger to you, focused on my studies, and just as quiet and introspective as I had been at the orphanage. It was easier to just let it go."

"What about Seifer?"

"I don't really know. Sometimes I think he remembers, but other times... I just don't know."

Irvine said, "You forgot to mention Sis."

He nodded. "Ellone. She was a bit older than us, and we all used to call her 'Sis'."

"She's the one that takes us back to Laguna's period, right, Irvine?" Selphie said.

"She told Squall she wanted to change the past, but we don't know why," Irvine responded.

"There can be only one reason for that," Quistis mused. "She must not be happy with the present."

"If that's the case, I'm definitely up for helpin' her!" Zell declared. "She's part of our orphanage gang!"

"You didn't even remember who she was," Selphie replied.

Irvine chuckled. "Maybe because Squall kept hogging her attention."

"But how come none of us remembered?" Zell asked. "Is it the GFs? What those people say about them?"

"No," Squall said sharply. "I don't believe that for a second. They might have some effect on our memories, but not like that. Quistis, you were ten when you came to Garden. You didn't remember any of us."

"I... Yes, I remember now. Things didn't work out too well at my new home, so I came to Garden at the age of ten." Quistis seemed to have an epiphany about something and walked away a short distance, lost in thought.

"I think in my case it was because I had loads and loads of fun after going to Trabia. Everything was so new and there was so much going—" Selphie looked thoughtful, then said, "Actually, when I was twelve, I went on an outdoor training session. I found a GF inside one of the monsters I defeated. I junctioned that GF for a while, so I had experience with one before going to Balamb. But... I can't remember the name of the GF."

"I really think it's a non-issue," Squall said. "You had all, with the exception of Irvine, already forgotten. It's possible that Selphie's experience might have affected her memory, but we can't blame GF usage for taking memories that had already been forgotten. Either way, it's obvious those memories are still there, because you're all remembering now."

"Heeeey, I know! Let's all keep a diary? That way even if they do affect us, we'll have something to remind us."

Quistis walked back and said, "Do you all remember matron?"

Squall exchanged a look with Irvine, then said, "I guess I'll just be blunt. Matron's name is Edea Kramer, she's Headmaster Cid's wife. _Matron_ is Sorceress Edea."

Rinoa gasped and looked at Irvine, "Is that why...?"

Irvine nodded. "The question is... why would matron take over a country, or fire missiles, or work toward world domination? At this point, we probably wouldn't comprehend even if we tried. As we learned from Cid, SeeD and Garden were matron's idea, even if she doesn't seem to remember that anymore. I'm not a SeeD, but I share the same feeling with all of you, and SeeDs are supposed to fight the sorceress.

"So like... this is what I wanted to say before. I understand what Rinoa's saying. I understand, but I'm still going to fight. I want to stay true to everything I've stood for, and I'm sure it's the same for everyone. I know our opponent is matron, whom we all love very much. But like Squall said to me as I was there in the clock tower, confessing that I couldn't take that shot and hurt matron, we know her, we care about her, and if she's gone bad, it's almost like it's our right to take care of the problem. Yeah, we could run away. We could let someone else handle this, someone who doesn't understand. But that's like... I don't know. It's not right."

Everyone was quiet for a while after Irvine's passionate speech, lost in thought. Zell eventually said, "Yeah. Let's do it. We can't run from her for the rest of our lives."

"It's just such a bummer," Selphie muttered. "I can't believe we have to fight matron."

"I know," said Quistis, "but Zell's right. We can run from her forever."

Squall nodded and turned to face Rinoa. "We're going to fight. I think it's the only way we can move on with our lives, if that makes any sense. It's up to you if you want to fight with us. Nobody would think less of you if you chose to return to Timber and check on the other Forest Owls, or chose to help in other ways than fighting. But if you want to fight with us, you're welcome to."

Rinoa nodded, a peculiar, almost lost expression on her face.

Squall was mildly startled when Griever nudged him and pointed upward. "Look."

"It's snowing!" Selphie said happily. "A gift from the faeries!"

_'A nice way to brighten the mood,'_ Griever said. _'Sorry I've been so quiet, but, it'd be too hard to explain why I...'_

_'I know. And frankly, I don't want to share that with anyone. It's special, what we have.'_

Griever smiled softly, then murmured, "Maybe we should check out the orphanage?"

Squall tilted his head in consideration. "Guys, opinions on checking out the orphanage?"

"We might find clues," Irvine said slowly.

"You mean as to why matron turned out like this?" Quistis asked.

"Clues in the past won't change the present," Squall said, "but I'm curious myself. We'll head there next. And after that, it's possible that Edea might think Ellone would be hiding in either Dollet or Timber. Let's go."

* * *

"Squall, take a look." Nida handed over a spare set of binoculars. "What do you think?"

A quick scan with them to magnify his vision revealed Galbadia Garden near the orphanage. "They probably know we're here, too. If not, we'll make the first move. The battle is inevitable."

"The sorceress is with them, you think? Is this going to be the final battle?"

"I hope so." He set the binoculars down and stepped over to the microphone on the console, contemplating exactly how to deploy their forces, then clicked it on. After the chimes sounded he said, "This is Squall speaking. This is an emergency so listen carefully. We're going into battle against Galbadia Garden. The enemy will probably attempt to board, so we must concentrate our forces at the most probable points of entry.

"Core team report to the office. Those with MG rank three or above, assemble as follows, according to the last digit of your student ID. Zero through three to the front gate. Four through seven to the quad. Eight and nine to the second floor. First and second class Sabers, assemble in the parking lot and ready your vehicles for an assault.

"Junior classmen are to report to their dorms immediately and lock themselves in. Upperclassmen with a student ID ending in zero will provide defense for the dorms in case the enemy penetrates that far. Everyone else, assemble as follows, according to the last digit of your student ID. One through three to the front gate. Four through six to the quad, seven through nine to the second floor, classrooms and deck. You have ten minutes to get into position. Make sure you're prepared and good luck. That is all."

He clicked off the microphone and checked his watch, then said to Nida, "We'll start our advance shortly."

"Understood."

As he was fiddling with the controls to turn off the damn PA system chimes, noise made him glance down into the office proper to see members of the core team arriving, where Griever was already waiting. He stepped onto the lift and rode it down.

"What do you want us to do?" Quistis asked.

"You're going to help lead the others. Irvine, Selphie, you'll lead at the front gate."

_'You know I can handle myself. You can send me wherever.'_

_'If you're sure.'_ "Zell, Griever, you'll lead at the quad." Squall paused with a frown. "Where's Rinoa? Ah, whatever. Quistis, take lead on the second floor. If you run into Rinoa, drag her along." He checked his watch. "Less than ten minutes until we advance, so get going." As he stepped onto the lift up to the controls he thought,_ 'Please be careful.'_

_'I promise you I will. Trust in your people, and keep a clear head.'_

Several minutes later Galbadia Garden began to move, to approach them, so he lowered the binoculars and clicked on the microphone long enough to announce, "All personnel, prepare yourselves. Galbadia Garden approaches. If you are not in your assigned area, go there now."

_'Rinoa just showed up at the quad... Zell just told her that you assigned her with Quistis... And she's agreed to go help with that lead. She's leaving now.'_

_'All right, thanks.'_

"Squall, Seifer's on that Garden, and they're headed straight for us!"

He hauled his binoculars up and checked; Seifer was presiding over a team of motorcyclists, hand raised to give the signal to take off.

"We're gonna crash!"

"Go right!" he ordered, then grabbed the microphone. "Brace for impact! Quad team, prepare for incoming." He staggered when the other Garden rammed into them, very nearly losing his grip on the railing. He fretted as the minutes rolled by, and as Galbadia Garden moved away, wishing he was doing something more than standing there, but knowing that he couldn't lead everyone if he was anywhere but on the bridge.

A light on the console came on and a voice issued from a speaker. "Quad reporting. Damage sustained to the outer edge and hull, but no casualties. Attack has been thwarted. Some motorcycles may have made it to the core."

"Dorm defense team, on guard! Enemy may have penetrated to the core." He swore when the enemy Garden looked likely to ram them again, this time at their rear. Nida was already on it, trying to keep them from colliding. "Brace for impact! Gate team, prepare for incoming."

It was another tense wait until a report came in. "Gate reporting! We thrashed 'em! No casualties, but we did suffer injuries. Working on treating those now. It's been pretty rough, though, and a lot of the people here are really tired."

Something caught his eye; a closer look revealed them to be soldiers using those flight devices, but he could not be sure where they were headed as he lost sight of them quickly. "All teams, on guard. Flight-capable enemy approaching."

Quistis reported in next. "Second floor attacked, enemies destroyed."

"They're moving away," Nida reported. "Do you think they're regrouping for another attack?"

_'Hell if I know. Maybe?'_ He turned as the lift engaged and Xu arrived.

"What's the situation?" she asked.

He decided to wonder later where she had been up 'til then and said, "So far, so good, but the gate team seems to have been hit the worst. Another attack there might see us overrun."

"They're got Galbadian soldiers in addition to the Garden fighters," Xu said. "They can afford to throw more people at us who have greater experience."

"Then we need to concentrate them differently, and go on the offensive. Seifer is over there, which means there's a good chance the sorceress is, too. They rammed us to board, so—"

"We ram them back?"

Squall nodded. "Nida, you know how these things are piloted. Do you think you can hit them to disable their mobility? Ground them?"

"I'll do my best!" Nida tossed over his shoulder. "Just give the order."

"Squall, I think you need to talk to everyone first," Xu said. "Encourage them. As their leader it's your duty."

Nida looked over his shoulder and added, "You probably don't know, but everybody in this Garden looks up to you. They like you."

_'The hell? How did I manage that? Hey, you're okay down there, right?'_

_'Yes, we're fine. I had a lot of fun using very sneaky magic to screw over those motorcycles.'_

_'Okay, time for that speech.'_ He nodded at Xu and readied the microphone. "Everyone, this is Squall. I know you've all done an excellent job so far. You're all probably too tired to even stand up after all the fighting. But I want everyone to listen to me. We still have a chance to win, and I need your help. We're going to attack them before they come in again. To do that, we're going to head straight into their Garden, so I want everyone to prepare for a major collision.

"Sabers, you know what to do. Core team, we'll be leading the attack into their Garden, so assemble at the gate. As for everyone else, please support them if you can. SeeD was formed to fight the sorceress, and that's what we're going to do. Garden was created to train SeeDs, so this battle is Garden's destiny, and also our destiny. It's a grueling battle, and I'm sure you guys are exhausted, but I don't want to have any regrets. I don't want anyone to look back and regret this day. So just this once, I want you guys to give everything you have, for yourselves and for me!"

Xu nodded several times and said, "You did great. That was wonderful."

"Nida, proceed. Xu, you're in charge while I'm gone." He set the microphone down, then pulled the binoculars up over his head and set them aside. After a nod he headed down the lift and out of the office, then down the elevator to the first floor. A minute later he had met up with the others, and was incredibly embarrassed when the gate team cheered his arrival.

Xu's voice came over the PA. "All hands, brace for impact!"

The crash was spectacular. The second they were steady again Squall said, "Core team, let's go! Irvine, Quistis, in the lead!"

They made it inside the enemy Garden after a hard run, getting to a junction of two hallways, where Irvine stopped for a breather. "The sorceress should be here somewhere."

"Remember, she's our enemy now," Squall said. "Don't think about it in any other way. There's no way we could fight her like that. She chose to fight and became our enemy. We choose to fight back. Irvine, Quistis, you know this place best, so take point."

After a very long journey through the confusing layout of Galbadia Garden, not to mention having to track down some of the very few students left to obtain card keys to bypass security in places, they were able to make their way to the restricted elevator just near the second floor reception room. The student who had given them the card key for it let them know the sorceress's room was on the top floor. They had also run into Raijin and Fujin, both of whom seemed rather confused and conflicted about Seifer.

When they reached the top Seifer was waiting, standing a short distance in front of Edea. "Oh, you guys shouldn't have. I was gonna come visit you at my old home."

Squall made a slashing gesture with one hand. "Shut up."

"Did you guys come to fight matron? After all she's done for us?" Seifer passed his eyes over the team and paused at Rinoa. "Rinoa, what are you doing here? You're gonna fight me, too? Come on, remember a year ago we—"

"Stop it!"

Seifer then turned to Quistis. "Instructor Trepe, I'm still one of your dearest students, aren't I?"

"Not anymore."

Squall snorted softly and said, "It's too late, Seifer. You can't mess with our minds. To us, you're just another enemy, like one of those monsters."

Seifer whipped his blade around angrily. "You're comparing _me_ to one of them? I ain't no monster. I'm the sorceress's knight. And look at you. Attacking like a swarm. You guys are the monsters." He brought Hyperion around to readiness and said, "Show me what you got. I'll show you who's the better man!"

He was, of course, defeated. And he, again, seemed surprised by that fact, just before he collapsed. Edea rose up from her reclining position in a unearthly sinuous fashion and said, "Worthless child." She then sank through the floor.

"The auditorium is right below," Irvine said helpfully. "We go back down and past the reception room."

They arrived below the seating, at the center of the room. Ahead and above them was a podium flanked by four large screens. As they were looking around trying to see if the sorceress was there, the peace was shattered when Edea smashed through the glass overhead and landed gracefully on the podium.

"So, the time has come. You're the legendary SeeD destined to face me?"

_'Legendary SeeD? She talks like she's not from this time. That's not matron.'_

"I must say that I am impressed. An impressive nuisance. Your life ends here, SeeD." But before she had moved to do so Seifer appeared again. "Worthless fool."

_'It's like she's possessed,'_ Griever commented.

"All SeeDs must perish!"

They were thrown into another fight for their lives, with an injured but determined Seifer standing before her again, saying, "You'll never... get past me."

Which was an easily proven lie, as he went down quickly. Edea showed further disgust, saying, "Defeated... Useless fool. Enough play. SeeDs must die!" And she herself took on the task, but was, eventually, defeated.

As she collapsed to the ground a multi-coloured cloud erupted around her, and Squall's vision went white, almost like someone had turned up the lights to an extreme. _'What's happening?'_ He squinted and was able to see Rinoa walking toward Seifer's body, but her movements were jerky and uncoordinated, and she seemed to be in a trance.

_'I think...'_

Rinoa crouched down to cradle Seifer in her arms and give him a kiss. She slumped over as Seifer pulled himself up, the light level in the room starting to die down, finally returning to normal. And by then Seifer was gone.

"Rinoa?" Quistis asked. "Are you all right?"

Edea spoke then, in a vastly different tone. "You've all grown so much... and become so strong. I have waited for this day to come. And also feared this day would come. Is today a joyous day? Or an odious day? Where is Ellone!? Have I protected Ellone!?"

_'Is she... back to normal?'_

"Squall!" Quistis called. "It's Rinoa..."

_'What now?'_

* * *

Posted: 03 April 2008  
Updated:

* * *


	6. Potestas

**Notes**: Nothing explicit. That part of my brain is broken (or maybe on extended vacation, dunno). A bit of super!Harry is shown. Or _maybe_ it's just thinking outside the box. (Of course, so much of the events in the game rely on 'fate' that I can just twist that for my own use.)

* * *

— Convergence: 06: Potestas —

* * *

The door hadn't been closed for two seconds when Squall asked, "Do you have any idea of what happened back there? And what was that comment about possession?"

Griever said nothing at first, instead getting out his night clothes and stripping down so he could change. Surprising for Squall, but also an excellent distraction for a short time. He decided to follow suit, seeing no particular reason not to. And while it might be a bit awkward doing so, Griever seemed oblivious to the effect he was having, and Squall had been undressing and showering in front of other males for years in the training center locker room.

Once Griever had made himself comfortable on the bed (and, incidentally, had produced several bottles of juice from his miraculous little pouch) he said, "The idea of possession had crossed my mind earlier, even before I got myself paroled, but I dismissed it just as quickly. See, in my personal experience, the only one who could do that was Voldemort, and then only because the two entities he did it to were myself and his snake Nagini. Both of us had pieces of his soul, which is the only reason I came to believe he could do it.

"To control anyone else he had to use a spell. Well, I don't actually know how possession works. That might be spell-induced, too." Griever shrugged. "The control spell, though... It would take dedicated effort to control someone so closely, for so long, that they would essentially be acting like the one casting the spell, and people can become highly resistant to it, if they aren't to begin with. You'd exhaust yourself and lose the spell, you know?

"Anyway, so I dismissed the idea, even though you thought Edea was acting like someone else entirely. And I think the only person in this day and age who could even hope to hold that level of prolonged control would be a very powerful sorceress. So, either there's a real doozy hiding somewhere on the planet, or Adel is somehow active, or... some other explanation."

Squall processed that as he took sips of his drink. "Okay, I get what you're saying. And I'm gonna assume for the moment that someone or something has been controlling matron for some time. Let's further suppose that matron knew she wasn't strong enough to resist, so she hid in her own mind or was forced to, which would explain why the sorceress didn't understand about Garden and SeeD, the white SeeDs, or much of anything about Ellone."

"And the only thing special we know of about Ellone is her ability to send someone's consciousness into the past," Griever stated.

Squall frowned. "Someone from the future? Using Ellone to send them into matron?"

"Maybe. But then why would that someone want to find her now?"

They puzzled over that for a while longer and gave it up as impossible with what little information they had, so Squall returned to his other question. "That light, when we defeated the sorceress."

Griever worried his lower lip between his teeth. "Honestly, I really don't know. It could have been some sort of instinctive act of desperation, or... She sounded truly concerned for Ellone afterward. Maybe whatever was controlling her left or was forced out?"

Squall finished off his juice and tossed the container into the bin, then did the same with Griever's. "My brain hurts," he muttered. "I think I'll put it in neutral for a while."

Griever shifted restlessly and said, "So don't think so much. Do something else."

He arched a brow, taking that for a hint, and looked over to see Griever eyeing him. After a second or two he moved, fluidly taking position to straddle his friend's hips. "I'm going to kiss you, then." Not waiting for a response he lowered his head to do just that, then ask wordlessly for more, which he was given in the form of parted lips.

Squall was becoming lost in how good it felt, their joined and hungry mouths, Griever's hands roaming the expanse of his back, and his body's instinctive urges to move, that he felt shock when he was, without warning, rolled to the side and onto his back.

Griever hovered over him and said quite plainly, "I want more, I just don't know if you do. Yet."

"I've felt this way for at least a year," he whispered. "How long?"

Griever licked his lips and said, "The past few years. Before that you were too young to even think of that way, though I did love you." He flirted his brows up briefly. "I don't really think of myself as being much more than eighteen, you know. It confuses me at times, but it was the only way I could cope being alive for so long. I want more, now that I'm here, now that I'm with you."

Squall became very aware of the fact that he was painfully aroused, as was Griever, and shifted his hips. He groaned at the friction of his body against his... his lover's, and shifted again, reaching up to pull Griever down into another kiss. They could figure it out together.

* * *

He entered the infirmary and glanced through the nearby observation window; Rinoa appeared to be sleeping. "Doc, have you been able to figure anything out yet?"

Kadowaki shook her head. "I'm still working on it. Try back later, okay?"

"All right." He headed off to the bridge in the hopes of tracking Xu down to get reports. Griever joined him at the elevator and they rode up together, then entered the office. Xu and Quistis were talking quietly at the desk, shuffling papers around.

"Xu, status report."

Xu looked up in surprise and nodded. "I have the details written down for you to look at, but in a nutshell..." She finished up by saying, "And on a brighter note, all of the junior classmen are fine."

Squall strongly considered going back to Trabia and taking on all those who had survived, not so much with an eye toward bolstering their fighting capability as their defense and support. Well, and to give those people a proper interim home. He wasn't sure they had that option, though. "I'm sure Zell will be thrilled that the cafeteria is undamaged and the hot dog supply is safe," he said dryly.

Quistis laughed behind her hand, then sobered and said, "Squall, we've received word that Sorceress Edea—that matron is back at the orphanage. She'd like to see us."

_'I'll remain here,'_ Griever immediately said. _'I get the feeling this is going to be very personal. And besides, I'll be able to hear it all anyway.'_

Squall furrowed his brow and nodded. "Nida, prepare for departure," he called up. "The orphanage. And have the core team assemble at the gate."

"Yes, sir!"

"I think we better be cautious, just in case. I know Galbadia Garden retreated, but... Griever, see what you can do to give Xu and Nida a hand. That leaves three people here I trust, while those of us from the orphanage go speak to matron," he said, both to give a plausible excuse for his lover to remain behind, and to reinforce the idea that he considered Griever an equal even if he wasn't a member of Garden.

"Understood."

"Quistis, let's go." The team was waiting so they pressed on into the orphanage, all of them looking pained at the ruins of their shared childhood home. Cid was waiting inside the only part of the building still standing, though even that had gaping holes in the walls to expose the interior to the elements.

"Many thanks for your hard work," Cid said, then let out a sketchy laugh. "Are you angry with me? I don't blame you. All I do is talk big, but in times of trouble I run away. I was in a no-win situation. Your defeat would be the end of you. Your victory would mean losing my wife. I just couldn't bear... to face either outcome. I don't care about myself, but please... forgive Edea." He turned and slowly walked through what used to be a door at the back. "Come."

Outside was Edea, who stepped forward at their approach. "My children, please forgive me. I raised you as my own, yet still, I..."

"We feel the same way," Squall said.

Quistis moved to flank him and said, "We fought, knowing very well that you were our matron. That was the only choice we had left."

"You are SeeDs," said Edea. "You cannot back out of a battle, I know. You were magnificent. However, it is not over yet. At anytime, I may... I have been possessed all this time, at the mercy of Sorceress Ultimecia."

_'Ultimecia?'_

_'Possessed!? So—'_

"Ultimecia is a sorceress from the future, many generations ahead of our time. Her objective is to find Ellone. She is after Ellone's mysterious power. Ultimecia is a very fearful sorceress, her heart filled with anger and hate. There was no way I was going to let her get a hold of Ellone. The only thing I could do was... surrender my soul to Ultimecia and lose control of my mind. That was the only way I could save Ellone. And the end result, well, you know now."

Squall didn't know whether to be pleased or upset that he and Griever had been on the right track.

"The sorceress that appeared in Galbadia was in fact Ultimecia, inside my shell. Ultimecia has yet to achieve her goal, and I believe she may use my body again to carry out her plans. I intend to make a stand this time, but, if that doesn't work... I may have to face you in battle once again. I ask for your support, young SeeDs.

"Have you all heard of Sorceress Adel before? She was the ruler of Esthar during the Sorceress War, and no one knows of her whereabouts. The Galbadians must have thought I was the sorceress who received Adel's powers. However, that was not the case, as I received the powers of a sorceress at the age of five."

"So what does that mean?" Selphie asked.

"I believe that Sorceress Adel is still alive, and that Ultimecia released my body in order to—to use the body of Adel. Sorceress Adel is the type who will not hesitate to use her powers for her own selfish desires. Should Sorceress Ultimecia from the future bequeath her anger and hatred unto Adel, their power would be unimaginable."

Squall turned away in thought, gazing out at the ocean. What matron had to say was all very well, and gave them some direction, but... "Matron," he said distantly, "do you know what's wrong with Rinoa?"

"Rinoa is the girl in blue? I remember vaguely... What happened to her?"

"She was with us when we fought you," Quistis explained. "After the battle—her body was cold, she didn't move..."

"Did Rinoa die!?" asked Cid.

"No," Squall said and turned back to face them. "She's in the infirmary right now. Kadowaki hasn't been able to find any answers yet."

"Forgive me, Squall, I don't think I can be of any help," Edea said.

He nodded and gazed out at the ocean again.

"Squall," Cid said softly, "I understand how you feel."

_'Oh really?'_

"But you are in a position of leadership. The other students at Garden have a right to know about the outcome of the battle and what's to come. Remember, it wasn't just Rinoa that fought, it was everyone."

_'I think you're assuming things.'_ He arched a brow at Cid and said, "Oh, I understand that. We have no way of knowing if her condition is the result of her fighting alongside us or not. Either way, it would be heartless of us to neglect to see if matron had any ideas."

Cid retreated into faint confusion at that.

Edea glanced at her husband before saying, "Ultimecia's goal is to find Ellone. Ellone's mysterious power... sending one's consciousness back into the past."

"So Ultimecia wants to use Ellone's power, right?" Zell said.

"I get it," Irvine said. "Ultimecia wants to send her consciousness from this period further into the past."

"What's she going to do in the past?" Selphie mused.

"Time compression," stated Edea.

"Time compression?" Quistis echoed.

"It's time magic," Edea explained. "Past, present, and the future get compressed."

Squall ignored the babbled questions of his teammates, and slipped in a question of his own during a lull. "So basically, we need to prevent Ultimecia from getting a hold of Ellone?"

Quistis answered, "Yes, but..."

"Hey, but we're worried about Rinoa, too, you know?" Zell objected.

Squall turned to him, but clutched at his head as that horrible dizzying sensation swept over him again. _'Ellone!'_

He suffered through Laguna—his father?—taking the part of a sorceress's knight in a film, an attempt on the man's part to earn some money. He found it pathetically comical when Laguna was faced with, not the fake ruby dragon the crew had created a costume for, but a real one. Kiros and Ward arrived to watch their friend make a fool of himself, but quickly realized the danger and moved to help defeat the beast.

As the three men were beating a hasty retreat back up the mountain in the face of an onslaught of more dragons, off in the distance was a strange glowing pillar or obelisk of sorts. And then, all there was was endless black.

_'I can't disconnect,'_ a female voice mused.

_'Disconnect?'_

_'Is that you, Squall?'_

_'Yeah.'_

_'It's just what I call it when I use my special power, connect. Oh, I know, I must be asleep...? That's why I can't control it. I'm sorry, Squall. Just let me use your spirit for a little while longer.'_

_'But—'_ He found himself at the orphanage again, but not in the present. Laguna was there, speaking with matron.

"What happened to Ellone?" Edea asked.

"She was kidnapped by Esthar soldiers," Laguna replied. "I've been traveling, tryin' all I can to get inside Esthar, but..."

"They were looking for a successor to the Esthar sorceress, Adel?"

"Yeah, yeah! Exactly it!"

"Is she your daughter?"

"No, but she's just so cute! Oh, I wish I could hear her voice!"

_'So do I at the moment.'_

Laguna startled, causing Edea to ask, "Is something the matter?"

"No... just the faeries..." Laguna replied as the memory faded into darkness.

_'If I have to be in the past, why can't I be where I can try to see what happened to Rinoa after the battle? Maybe change what happened.'_

_'You can't change the past. I just learned that,'_ Ellone responded sadly._ 'When I was kidnapped, Uncle Laguna went on a journey to find me. But because he did, he wasn't able to be by Raine's side when she died. Raine wanted to show Laguna her newborn baby. She kept calling out for Laguna. _

_'So no matter what, I wanted Laguna to stay in the village. But it didn't work. I can no longer make it back to that moment. And also... I can only send you inside someone I've met before. I'm sorry, Squall. I'm about to disconnect. I'll try to speak to you again this way.'_

_'Sis! Ellone!'_ The darkness receded and he realized he was awake again, staring up at the sky._ 'Damn it. Maybe if I could see her again in person? Does it count as meeting if one of the people is unconscious? In a coma?'_

"Squall?"

He blinked and realized that Quistis had been trying to get his attention. "Yeah, I'm fine," he said and pulled himself up. _'I know Ellone is...'_ "Matron... The white SeeD ship, the one Ellone's on—do you know where it might be?"

Her brow wrinkled as she responded, "Those children are—they are very cautious. They would never remain in one place for very long. However, they seem to have a fondness for Centra's landscape. They may have stationed their ship in one of the inlets."

"It's a starting point," he said with a nod.

"Before you go, please take this letter with you. I had a feeling you might choose to go after her, and this will help assure your welcome."

"Thank you, matron. We'll do our best."

They returned to Garden and Squall spent a while briefing members of Garden about the results of the battle, finishing up with, "Our mission now is to prevent Sorceress Ultimecia from finding Ellone. We will be setting out to gather information and find the white SeeD ship, the last known location of Ellone. Also, Sorceress Edea is currently not a threat, so we'll be leaving her alone. However, should that change, you will be informed. That is all for now."

He released the microphone and told Nida, "Prepare for departure. We need to search the Centra coastline for that ship."

"Yes, sir."

Squall rode the lift down and smiled at Griever, then asked, "Any word yet from Kadowaki on Rinoa's condition?"

"She called in briefly to let me know there's been no change yet," Xu informed him. "She's still running tests, but the results have been uninformative so far. I was just about to call down to the cafeteria to get something sent up. Are you hungry?"

* * *

"Found them, sir!"

He called up, "Have the core team assemble at..."

"It looks like it rides fairly high in the water," Nida said. "Second floor deck is probably best."

"Okay, second floor deck, then." A wise choice as it turned out, as they were easily able to transfer over.

Four white SeeDs awaited them, one of whom said, "We meet again."

"My name is Squall. We're SeeDs from Balamb Garden. I'd like to speak to your leader."

The same white SeeD responded, "I'm in charge. State your business. Depending on what you say, we may ask you to leave immediately."

_'Can't say that I necessarily blame them...'_ "We're here to see Ellone. We pose no threat. Edea told us how to track you down."

"Edea? How—?"

"Edea is no longer under Sorceress Ultimecia's control, and is now our ally, so there's no reason for you to hide Ellone's whereabouts from us. We wish to take Ellone back to protect her from Ultimecia."

All four white SeeDs took a step back and shook their heads. "Thank you for coming, but we have no reason to believe you. Please leave," the leader said, then all four of them dispersed, the leader heading toward the back of the ship at a jog.

_'You didn't even give us a chance to...'_ Squall followed the man so he could show him Edea's letter, but was stopped by a familiar face.

"Wow! Long time no see, sir!" Watts greeted them.

Just then Zone arrived, racing down the steps that led up to what Squall assumed was the bridge. "Whoa! Look who's here! Squall, how's it goin'?"

"Can't believe you're here! Everybody doin' good, sir?"

"After you guys left the Galbadian buttheads came after us, and we barely escaped to this boat," Zone informed them.

"I was sure we were goners, sir! Zone went nuts and was thinking about swimming across the sea to escape!"

"Hey, it was a plan. All you were doing was whining like a big baby. 'We're gonna die, we're gonna die!' And look who jumped first! You, you numbnuts!"

_'I don't see how these whackos keep surviving.'_

"So how's Rinoa? Where is she?"

Squall hesitated, waiting to see if they were actually going to _let_ him say anything, then replied, "Rinoa chose to fight with us against Edea, but for some reason she went unconscious after the battle. She's under Dr Kadowaki's care at Garden right now. We don't yet understand what happened."

He took a step back as Zone charged forward and got in his face, yelling, "You son of a bitch! What did I say!? What did I say, huh!? I told you to take care of her! That nothin' better happen to her! Scumbag! You pathetic, lyin' scumbag!"

Watts rushed over and pulled Zone back. "Zone! C'mon! Easy, sir! Easy. She's not dead. They just dunno what's wrong with her, that's all. It's not like he said they'd given up on her, ain't that right, sir?"

Squall brushed off the man's outburst and said, "We came here to get Ellone because there's a new evil force after her. And if we can get Ellone and Rinoa together, we might be able to figure out what happened, and how to fix it."

"Really? See, Zone? I told you, sir! Rinoa's gonna be fine! She promised she would come back. We all have to free Timber together. Don't worry, sir!"

Zone muttered to himself before saying, "All right. But I'm gonna say it one more time. If something happens to Rinoa, I swear..." He pulled free of Watts and ran back up the stairs.

_'You know, I might feel more inclined to sympathy if he had actually stuck with her,' Griever said. 'He acts like she means everything to him, and yet he refused to leave Timber with her.'_

While the others were querying Watts on anything of interest he might know, Squall responded,_ 'I agree. I know, I understand, not everyone is a fighter, not everyone can handle that, but still... If she means that much to him he should have come with us and not left it in the hands of others. I have to wonder if he's so angry because he knows that, and he's angry at himself as much as anyone else.'_

He jerked his attention back to the others in time to hear, "She's not here, sir."

"Where is she, then?" Irvine asked.

"She left, on another ship. There were some soldiers, I know I've seen them before... Esthar! They were Esthar soldiers, sir!"

_'She was taken there before when she was kidnapped.'_ "Why would Ellone willingly leave on an Esthar ship?"

Watts shook his head. "I don't know, sir, but I think she was smiling when she left."

_'The leader is below deck,'_ Griever helpfully informed him.

Squall nodded and fetched out Edea's letter, then took the stairs down. "Here," he said and held it out, before the leader could say anything. _'Sometimes I wonder how many conversations you can track at once.'_

The leader finished reading and shot a curious look at him. "This is... matron's writing. She really gave this to you?"

"You guys call her matron, too, huh?"

"Yes, ever since we were little."

"We were raised by Edea, too, for a while. It was difficult to fight against her, but we did. Fortunately, everything turned out well, and Edea is no longer evil. She's back to her old self again, the kind matron we remember."

"Then we owe you and Balamb Garden much. Squall, thank you. Anyway, I'm sorry, but Ellone's no longer on the ship. Remember we picked her up from your Garden near the FH coast? After that we headed east to get as far away as we could from Edea and Galbadia. Before long, though, we encountered the Galbadian fleet. They had a lot of ships. Obviously, they were searching for us. We should have been more careful.

"We were able to escape their pursuit, luckily, but then our ship broke down and we were stranded. They caught up to us eventually and we had no choice but to prepare for battle. An Esthar ship appeared then, and engaged the Galbadians, and we were caught in the middle of it. Then something strange happened. One of the Esthar ships came up alongside us and some of their soldiers boarded, telling us to get aboard their ship. It sounded like an evacuation order, but of course we refused.

"We didn't trust them anymore than we did the Galbadians. The battle became more intense around us as the Esthar soldiers tried to convince us, but eventually they were forced to leave our ship. Ellone came out then, chasing after them. She paused at the bow, yelled something, and jumped. I don't understand why she did that. After that Esthar's fleet withdrew from battle and fled. And we... well, it's a long story. After our ship is fully repaired we plan to go to Esthar."

"So Ellone's in Esthar."

"We have every reason to believe so."

_'There's only one person who...'_ "Then we're going to head there now."

"You should be aware," the leader said, "that the only way into Esthar we know of is via FH. Esthar is surrounded by high cliffs on all sides, even the inland border between it and Trabia. While we tend to favor the Centra region, we have done our share of sailing the seas. It's obvious there must be another way, as Esthar can launch ships, but we have not been successful in finding it."

He nodded thoughtfully. "And the technicians at FH told us that people going to Esthar pass through their city. All right, thank you."

Back at the bridge he gave Nida the order to depart, destination Fishermans Horizon. Until then, he supposed they could... goof off? He wondered if anyone was up for a Triple Triad marathon. It had been a while.

* * *

"All right. Zell?"

The blond straightened up and said, "Yup! We put together a cart so we could transport Rinoa more easily. It's ready to go."

"Fine. Then if everyone is ready, we can leave. Whoever has Float stocked go to the infirmary and get Rinoa. We can use that until the cart is a viable option. Or, you can just carry her up, whatever."

"On it!" Zell dashed off to the elevator.

"Xu, we may not be back for a while, so you're in charge. I'd prefer you not leave FH unless there's a compelling reason to. You might want to see if the technicians here can hook up Garden with a temporary HD connection, actually. You know how they feel here, so the same as before. No unsupervised visits into town, no violence..."

"Don't worry about a thing, Squall."

They were just about to set out along the bridge from the FH station when a person stepped into view from behind a pillar—Edea.

"Children, hello. I have decided that I must go to Esthar. I must go see Dr Odine. As you are here, will you be my escort?"

_'Odine?'_ "Yes, matron, of course. Why do you need to see him?"

"Sorceress Ultimecia is alive, and could take control of my body at any time. If that were to happen I would once again bring terror. I, too, value my well-being, and wish to protect myself. If it were possible I should like to rid myself of the sorceress power, and Dr Odine may know a way."

"I understand. Let's all go together, then," he said. _'Let's just hope we don't end up having to duke it out along the way. Twice already was two times too many.'_

They paused to rest at dusk, not wishing to chance any accidents by stumbling around in the dark, and set up tents for the night. And even though they had encountered nothing threatening thus far, Squall ordered a watch rotation just in case. In the morning they continued on, reaching land by late afternoon.

"Squall," Irvine said, "how about we scout out the territory so we have a better idea of which way to go in the morning? There's light enough for the moment."

"Sounds good. You, Selphie, and"—he noticed Zell step closer to matron—"Quistis take a look around while we set up camp."

As the tents were going up Griever said, _'We'll end up going east tomorrow.'_

_'Oh?'_

_'Yes. From what I could learn while I had the chance, Esthar _is_ surrounded by cliffs, but also highly advanced illusions. The city is almost directly east of here, which makes sense when you think about it.'_

_'Illusions? So how do we get past those?'_

_'There's a secret entrance, of course. Sadly, it's rather difficult to get precise details, so it's not like I have an image in my mind of exactly what to look for, but I'm pretty sure we can find it. I do know that the entrance isn't at or below ground level. It's actually in the air, along the edge of a drop-off, a cliff maybe.'_

_'And you didn't mention this before because it would have looked suspicious for me to deny Irvine's suggestion.'_

_'Naturally.'_

Squall grinned at the slightly smug mental tone and shook his head. "Let's get Rinoa settled."

Sure enough the scout group was back not long after sunset with word that they had found nothing either to the north or south, so it was agreed they would head east in the morning.

"It looks like we're in for a long trip," Edea said quietly from her perch on a camp chair where she was preparing supplies for a meal.

"Everything'll be all right," said Zell. "We'll be by your side all the way!"

"Thank you, Zell. But remember, you must stay alert even in my presence. As long as I can be myself everything will be fine, but if Ultimecia manages to control me again... You all know what to do."

A frown flashed across Selphie's face. "That air's getting heavy... Come on! We're all together again. We're gonna find Ellone. We're gonna help Rinoa. It's like a picnic! We're gonna have fun!"

Squall shook his head, mainly because he thought people had weird coping mechanisms, and said, "Whatever. And speaking of helping Rinoa..."

"On it," Quistis said and ducked into the tent with the cart next to it. Selphie followed to give her a hand.

He heaved an internal sigh of relief that they _had_ returned, both because they _were_ back and because the last thing he wanted to do was ask any of the males to attend to Rinoa's unconscious form. Rinoa might not be aware of what was happening to her, but he could imagine she'd freak out if she awoke to find that Irvine or Zell were...

The next morning they were on their way again, heading east into what looked to be a huge, dried-up lake. Squall was absently interested to note that matron did not attack physically when engaged, but rather used some sort of energy burst. They wended their way through the area, occasionally having to switch paths as the one they were on dead-ended, all while fending off the monsters that attacked them, one of which was a huge undead creature. They eventually emerged at the edge of a cliff that stretched quite a ways to the north and south.

_'There!'_ Griever alerted him. _'A little bit south. See it? The illusion's been damaged.'_

Squall scanned the air in that direction, then nodded. There was, otherwise inexplicably, the crackle of energy several feet off the ground. As he headed toward it he said, _'You've got a keen eye.'_

_'Remind me to tell you about Quidditch someday.'_ Griever reached the spot before Squall did and reached out a hand. "There's something here," he said, then manipulated something unseen. A moment later a 'hole' appeared in the sky above.

"Oh! Neato! A hole in the middle of nowhere!" Selphie squealed.

Griever took it upon himself to demonstrate that a ladder existed, even though they couldn't see it, and climbed up to disappear within. _'There's a platform up here down the tunnel. Should be a lift of some kind.'_

"All right," Squall said and climbed up as well. He was joined shortly by the others, judicious use of Float having made it easier for Irvine to carry Rinoa up on his back. Down the tunnel was a large hexagonal platform, formed from smaller, glass-like hexagons. And as soon as they had all stepped aboard it began to move upward. A short time later it jolted to a stop, causing everyone to stagger.

"Is this... it?" Quistis asked.

"Squall, what's the plan?" Zell asked while scratching his head.

"We keep going," he said, rather redundantly in his opinion. There were times, he thought, that the team seemed to inexplicably lose their heads and rely on him alone to make decisions. Granted, he had been placed into position as their commander, but...

Irvine hoisted Rinoa up onto his back again and they all proceeded though the tunnel before them, and onto another hexagonal lift. Seconds later the darkness in front of them receded to reveal the barren terrain of the lake, then that stripped away to reveal an amazing city like he had never before seen or even imagined.

Predictably, most everyone erupted into shocked clamoring, but they went silent as translucent barriers slid out of the way and railings appeared. The platform jolted as clamps came up to fix onto it, then dropped swiftly toward the city in a smooth arc. The ride was over far too soon, leveling out and gliding them into a tunnel which terminated at a more conventional platform, off which led a tunnel.

"Judging from their technology, they must know we're here," Squall warned. "It's possible we might encounter some hostility, so stay alert." He growled when Quistis collapsed, followed by Zell, and knew he was about to black out, too. "Not now! Damn it!"

Squall came out of the vision almost 100 sure that Laguna was in Esthar, and that was why Ellone had jumped ship to go with Esthar soldiers. Had her Uncle Laguna been there on that ship, well...

"Back from your adventure, Squall?" Irvine asked.

Edea turned toward the tunnel and said, "There's something coming."

As Squall got to his feet a car emerged and stopped, and a man stepped out. "Sorceress Edea?"

"Yes," she confirmed. "We came to see Dr Odine."

The man seemed confused by that. "Please explain what this is regarding."

"Yes, of course. We—"

"I want to see Ellone," Squall stated. "Where is she?"

The man aimed a puzzled look at him and said, "Ellone...? Odine?" Then he threw back his shoulders and gestured at the car. "Please come with us."

_'He doesn't seem to be hostile, just confused,'_ Griever commented, then entered the car when Squall nodded.

Squall was right behind him, and the others piled in as well, Rinoa being carefully handed in by Irvine. The man drove the car back down the tunnel, to emerge into the city itself, giving them all a far better view, and Irvine was moved to say, "Geez, how far does this go?"

"We'll be arriving at the presidential palace shortly," the man informed them.

"I hope Dr Odine is there," Edea mused.

"Esthar's president must be a real big shot," Irvine said speculatively.

At the palace they were led inside to a reception room and greeted by an aide of some sort. Edea immediately began to explain why she, at least, was there. "So that is why I seek the doctor's help. I wish to be free of Sorceress Ultimecia's control."

"Zat vill be easy," came a male voice, shortly followed by the man Squall recognized from the dreams as Dr Odine. "Ve just exorcise the sorceress. Zere iz nothing Odine cannot do."

"I leave everything in your hands," Edea said fatalistically.

"So you want to see Ellone?" the aide asked Squall.

"Yes, where is she? She may be able to help with Rinoa. We need to see her, now!"

Odine squinted at Rinoa's still form, where she had been placed on a couch. "I vill give ze permission, under one condition. You must let me observe zis girl."

The aide lost his hesitation and said, "We would need time to prepare before we take you to Ellone. So, you will leave the girl with us until then?"

"Accept the offer, Squall," Edea said. "I will be here, as well. She will not be alone."

On seeing that none of the team objected, Squall nodded, but addressed Odine with, "She's not some experiment for you to tinker with."

The aide spoke again. "It will take time for us to make the arrangements, so you have an hour or so to enjoy the city, after which you will need to head to the lunar gate. We will bring the girl ourselves. Vehicles are available for hire at the southern end of the city should you prefer that over walking."

With that in mind they detoured through a shopping district before heading to the rental place, and there got directions. The gate was a fair distance away, so they chose to drive, and once there and inside they were greeted by a woman. "We've been expecting you. This way, please."

She led them into a room, where a man in a lab coat asked, "Are you the ones taking off?"

_'I... guess?'_ "Yes."

"Okay, this way." He led them deeper into the structure, saying, "Distance-wise it's pretty far, but you'll be there in no time."

"Where are we going?" he asked, hoping to get a straight answer.

"Let me give you a quick explanation of the process," the man said as he drifted to a stop in front of some machinery. "First, each person going will need to enter a capsule inside this pipe. There you'll undergo the 'cold sleep' process. Once the process is complete the capsules will be loaded into the booster, and after that, we launch. You should be there by the time you wake up. Leave the rest to the staff once you arrive. Well, that's about it in a nutshell. I won't say there isn't risk involved."

"You'd be launching us into space," he said flatly. "To some kind of facility."

"Correct. The girl brought from the presidential palace has already undergone 'cold sleep' and her capsule loaded. Two more can make the trip."

Before he could respond Edea spoke, startling him because he had not noticed she was even there; she must have played escort to Rinoa. "In the meantime, something must be done to suppress my powers."

"Well, we can't all go on this trip," Quistis said. "We'll be your escort, matron, as it'd be too dangerous for you to be alone."

"Sounds fine," Squall said, wondering if part of that was simply her feelings about Dr Odine. "You guys have my trust and I know you'll be careful. Griever and I will be launching with Rinoa."

"Oh yeah!" enthused Zell. "I'll do whatever it takes to watch over you, matron. Don't worry about a thing, Squall!"

"All right," said the technician. "Then let's get you loaded up and ready to launch."

Unbeknownst to him as he shot up through the atmosphere toward space, down below the others were witnessing the Lunatic Pandora floating across the landscape. He came awake all at once, feeling disoriented, and quickly realized he was floating around in a null-gravity area.

A voice sounded through a hidden speaker. "Lock on to rotation ring unit. Lock engaged. Generating artificial gravity."

A few moments after they had drifted down to the 'ground' a door opened at the far end of the room and a man appeared, then approached.

"Here's the letter of introduction from Esthar's ambassador," Squall said as he handed it over.

Another man appeared, dressed somewhat in the same fashion as Kadowaki, and came over to inspect Rinoa. "Wow. What is she... seventeen, eighteen...? Is she dead?"

"Don't be absurd," Squall snapped.

"I understand the situation," the first man said. "I am Piet. Let's get her to the med lab. Please follow me."

They hoisted Rinoa up between them and walked her along, placing her a short time later on a bed. Piet left briefly as the technician worked on starting up the monitoring system, then returned to say, "I've talked to my crew. Come, let's go to the control room."

"Amazing," Griever murmured on arrival, staring with widened eyes out the windows.

Not only was the moon filling half the view, but a large structure was in orbit not far from the station, holding a person—Adel? Whoever it was looked like they had been shrink-wrapped and placed on display within a large ring with enormous wings on each side.

"This is no time to be impressed," said one of the console operators. "Look at the monitor there."

_'The hell?'_ The monitor in question showed the moon, the view zooming in to a large red swelling mass. "Monsters..."

"The lunar world is a world of monsters," the operator said. "Didn't you learn that in school? As you can see, the monsters are gathering at one point. History's starting to repeat itself. The Lunar Cry is starting."

_'This is nothing like... before. More experiments...? What the hell happened to have this result?'_

_'Let's go find Ellone. There's nothing we can do about... that.'_

_'Yeah, okay,'_ Griever responded, though he seemed reluctant to tear his eyes away from the display.

After a quick query to Piet they exited and went up a set of stairs to the next level of the facility, and entered the referenced door. Inside was a combined sitting room/bedroom, and Ellone.

"Squall, I'm so happy to see you again."

"Me, too."

"You're familiar somehow." She was gazing at Griever. "Is this...?"

"What, are you saying you sensed Griever those times?"

Ellone nodded. "Yes, another presence. Not... hostile. Anyway, I'm so sorry. I got you involved in so many things... so much hardship."

Squall shook his head, somewhat curious as to why she accepted Griever so easily, then said, "Confusion, maybe, but I don't know about hardship. I think I understand what you were trying to do. Were we of _any_ help?"

"Of course! You were my eyes. Thanks to you guys I was able to see how much I was loved. I couldn't change the past, but seeing it was more than enough. Thank you so much."

"It's okay. I came here because I need your help. You said you can't change the past, right?"

"You can find out things about the past that you never knew," she said. "And from what I've learned, you may see some things differently in the present. You're the one that changes, not the past."

"You mean like me finding out who my parents are," he stated. "But, Ellone, we didn't understand then, we never actively _tried_ to change the past. I want to find out for myself. Take me to Rinoa's past. I need to see what happened to her, and if I can, try to change things."

Ellone shook her head. "Squall, I can't. I don't know Rinoa. I told you I can only send people I know in the present into people I knew in the past. Whatever is wrong with her..."

"Look, we brought her with us. At least come see her. She's resting in the med lab. You may be able to do more than you know. After all, Griever was with me every time, and you never met him until just now."

She looked like she was about to protest, but sighed instead. "All right, Squall. You have a point."

An alarm went off as they were walking down the stairs, cutting off Squall's rather vague answer to Ellone's question about how long he had known Griever. "What's going on?"

"Red alert!" blared over a speaker as red lights began to flash on and off. "Red alert! All units report to the med lab, stat!"

"Rinoa? Griever, take care of Ellone. Head to the control room. I'll go check the med lab."

"Be careful," Ellone said before she allowed Griever to lead her away.

Squall headed off in the opposite direction, sliding to an abrupt stop when he saw Rinoa walking down the hallway in a trance-like state. She pushed away a man attempting to stop her, slamming him against the wall. Squall was likewise unable to touch her, but managed to land without losing consciousness, and was back on his feet quickly to trail her cautiously into the control room.

"Stay back!" he warned. "Don't try to touch her. You'll only be forced away."

"What's going on!?" a technician cried as Rinoa drifted over toward one of the unmanned consoles and began manipulating the controls.

"That's the deactivation device for the seal on Adel's tomb!" Piet shouted over the alarms.

"Adel's tomb level one seal deactivated," issued from a speaker. "Level one seal has been deactivated."

As Rinoa began to drift out of the room Piet shouted, "Damn it! It'll take ten to fifteen minutes to get that seal back up! Get—" His eyes widened as his gaze passed over the bank of windows. "Just what we need! It's starting, the Lunar Cry is starting! Forget the monitors, get on that seal!"

Squall was morbidly fascinated by what was happening on the moon, momentarily forgetting about Rinoa's bizarre behavior. Monsters all over were converging on a single point, directly in line with the planet.

"We have to stop that girl!" Piet shouted. "If she plans to free Adel, she'll have to go out there. The level two seal is located on the tomb itself."

Squall shook himself and ran back out, heading for their arrival point. _'Keep an eye on Ellone.'_

_'I will. Oh, sweet heavens...'_

Squall paused to look to the side, seeing the monsters swell at a single point and build up so high that the mass began to break free of the moon's gravity and stream toward the planet. His arm lashed out without thought to grab a man rushing by and asked, "Have you seen a girl come by here?"

"Yes. She went into that locker room."

Squall released him and raced off again, arriving in time to see a suited-up Rinoa heading through an airlock. There were other suits available so he hurriedly put one on and followed, hoping to catch her before she made it into space, but was stymied only part way along by the closing of the enormous doors at the end that Rinoa had been fast enough to get through.

He backtracked, swearing under his breath, and switched back to external air on his way to the control room.

"It's much too dangerous now! We must leave the base at once!" yelled an aide in the hallway to a suited-up figure.

"We have to evacuate, Mr President!" yelled another. "Please hurry to the pod!"

"Forget about me, just go!" cried the president.

"No! Please, sir, we must hurry!"

The two aides latched onto the man's arms and began dragging him away, but not before he could call out, "Hey, you! Take care of Ellone! Ahhhh!"

_'What the...?'_ Squall shook his head in bemusement as he kept going, entering the control room to see everyone there in a panic.

"Damn it! The first seal isn't—the second seal's gonna be broken!" Piet shouted in frustration.

Visible through the windows was a suited-up Rinoa arriving at Adel's tomb and doing something to a panel there. Seconds later billowing clouds of some gaseous matter escaped the tomb to either side, while 'above' the tomb they could see the masses of monsters descending toward it.

The station itself began to shake and Piet shouted, "Come on! We have to evacuate, now!" The technicians all got up and raced through a doorway at the back.

"Ellone, go with Piet. We're—"

Piet grabbed Ellone's arm and dragged her off. Squall's eyes remained on the phenomenon above, watching as the monsters engulfed the tomb and sent Rinoa spinning off into space.

_'We must go,'_ Griever urged. _'We'll die otherwise! I think I have an idea how to retrieve her, but we have to get to a pod!'_

Squall allowed himself to be pulled away. Through the door was a small lift, which they rode down. At the bottom he could see briefly, to the right, Piet and Ellone in a pod before it whisked downward. Griever paused long enough to grab a spacesuit from the rack at the opposite side and start to suit up, hopping toward the gantry where another pod had slid down into place.

_'It's just you and me,'_ Griever said as he pushed Squall along ahead of him. _'I can use real magic, okay? Let's just get going._' The pod door slid shut and sealed, and after a jerk they were moving. _'As soon as we're clear we can force open the exit and I can try to summon her to us. We just don't have much time to attempt it.'_

The pod jerked to a stop, then was launched, and seconds later a red light started flashing and a voice issued through a speaker. "Proximity alert! Collision imminent! Proximity alert! Collision imminent!"

Squall plastered himself in front of the small window in the door; coming straight at them was not only the Lunar Cry, but parts of the station itself, ripped free by the force of the monsters crashing into them. They were bounced off at an angle as he watched helplessly. A glance over his shoulder revealed Griever to have one hand raised, his expression through the faceplate one of concentration.

_'Praise the fates, because we're heading in the same direction she went. Switch to suit air and let's get that door open. I just pray there's backup oxygen in this thing or it'll be a really chancy ride down to the surface.'_

Squall started muscling the door open as Griever stepped up to help him. Once open all the air was sucked out, and them nearly as well. Rinoa was spinning end over end through space a distance ahead, and beyond her... Beyond her was a large red ship, slowly rotating in place.

_'Excellent! Okay, hold on to me tight. I'm going to use that thing as an anchor. Rinoa should come straight to us, and with any luck, maybe we can board that ship, because I don't think I can possibly get us back on a course for the planet.'_

Squall simply nodded and secured himself, then pulled Griever into a hug from behind. He didn't understand exactly what his lover was doing, but he could see that they were catching up, though with agonizing slowness, and he wondered just exactly how much of an air reserve the suits held. He pulled them back as Rinoa finally came close, risking his grip on Griever long enough to pull her inside over their heads.

_'Keep holding. We should be there soon. Keep an eye out for anything that looks like it could be an airlock. The suit jets should give us some maneuverability.'_

It was an anxious few minutes as he waited, ignoring the sudden pressure he felt on his shoulder; he could only assume it was Rinoa. Then Griever spoke over the short-range suit intercoms. "Okay, we need to push out and drop down so we avoid when the pod collides. Soon as we're clear we can use the suit jets to find a way in."

"Understood," he replied.

"Okay," Rinoa's voice sounded faintly.

"Keep hold of each other, and... go!"

They were able to get far enough away to avoid the pod bouncing off the ship, and still be able to jet over in a linked line. "There!" Squall said. "That looks like a hatch."

Inside, finally, and presumably safe for the moment, Rinoa collapsed into a heap while Squall and Griever searched for the airlock door control; as soon as it had closed they could hear a loud hissing noise.

"I think," Squall said as a red light winked out and came back on green, "that we've got air."

"We do," Griever said, staring at a console. He reached up to unseat his helmet and pull it off to set aside, then begin stripping off the suit.

Squall followed, then helped Rinoa, who seemed to be rather out of it, but not in the same way as before. "Hey, you okay?"

She looked like she was ready to cry, but nodded. "Thanks so much, both of you. I can't thank you enough. I was so scared. I thought I was going to die out there, all alone, in the middle of endless space."

_'You'll have to explain to me later exactly what you did,'_ he told Griever, then said, "We may be alive right now, but we're still not safe. I dunno about you two, but I was certainly never trained how to fly an airship."

Griever ran a hand through his hair and sighed, then brightened. "Say, it said Esthar outside on the hull... What are the odds we'll be able to communicate with them? Esthar _does_ have an airstation."

Squall nodded. "Right. Then let's find the bridge."

"I wonder why it was just orbiting up here?" Griever mused.

He shook his head. "Let's go," he said, then made for the door.

On the other side Rinoa shrieked at the sight of a huge purplish monster below the walkway they were on. "That doesn't look very friendly," she whispered.

"We ignore it for now," he said, eyeing the door up ahead. However, that was locked, and the only other option was down the stairs to their right, toward that creature. It was defeated a few minutes later, leaving them with a choice of two doors. Not having any idea which was what, Squall opted right, where they found another of the creatures, though this one was greenish in colour.

After defeating it they realized there were no other exits and so backtracked, only to run into the purplish monster again. _'What the hell?'_ They dispatched it and opted left, this time running into a reddish version. Before it could attack, however, Squall led them at a run through the exit to the west, where a purple was pacing around.

"Geez," Griever whispered. "They're everywhere."

Another fight and Squall took the only new option, west, and trotted up the winding staircase to emerge into a room with several exits. There was a door at the far left and one to the south, plus a lift, which was presently occupied by a greenish version that seemed disinclined to move.

"Purple, green, red... Think that door leads back to the walkway?"

Griever slipped over to it and hit a switch. A small light winked from red to green, and the door opened. A red beast was on the other side, causing Griever to step back very quickly to allow the door to shut. "Oookay."

Squall opted for the upper left door and they were forced to fight by a yellow that rushed them. Once it was dispatched they paused to look around. Unlike the other parts of the ship they had passed through, this place had viewing windows and a terminal. Investigation revealed that the ship had been abandoned due to the creature infestation. While unable to actually carry out the extermination, the crew had left notes detailing that they must be defeated in colour pairs.

"Okay, we took out two purples in a row, so they won't come back," Squall said. "It was yellow in here, but we don't know where the other one is."

"We could take out both reds easily enough," Griever said, "and the greens. That'd leave us the yellow that will regenerate here, plus wherever the other one is hiding."

"On the bridge, maybe?" Rinoa suggested.

"Or... the airlock," he said. "That red wasn't there when we first came out, so the airlock might have a surprise now, too. But let's take out that green first. I expect that lift leads to the bridge, so..."

"Why fight more than we have to, since they don't seem to move around."

"Exactly." They headed back into the lift room and wasted the creature, then tried the lift, which stubbornly refused to function. "Wonderful. Looks like we get to run around for a bit."

Quite a bit later they had exterminated all of them (the other yellow indeed lurking in the airlock) and returned to the lift, which decided to be cooperative and took them upward. Squall did not relax until a careful perusal of the bridge revealed no creatures lurking, at which point he strapped his gunblade into place and moved toward the apex of the room.

"Wow!" Rinoa said, turning around in slow circles.

He examined the consoles as Griever asked slowly, "Rinoa, do you know what happened to you?" Squall looked back over his shoulder to see her standing there with a faintly frightened expression.

"I don't think I'll be able to stay with you guys when we get back," she said.

Squall moved away from the console and planted a hand on his hip. "What do you mean?"

"I'm... I'm a sorceress now, Squall."

"But... how?"

"Edea, Squall. I don't know how, but she was forced to pass on her powers, and they went to me. And then..."

"Ultimecia took control, is that it?" he asked.

"Yeah." She looked down and toed the floor uncomfortably. "I was forced to release Sorceress Adel. They'll be angry at me. And I know what Esthar does to sorceresses. That's why I think..."

"That," said Griever firmly, "is ridiculous."

Her head shot up. "Huh?"

"Ultimecia used Edea and abandoned her. She then used you and abandoned you to die! She has Adel now, right? I'm willing to bet that Adel is somewhere back on the planet, and from what we know of her she's the type to _willingly_ help Ultimecia. You aren't the sorceress anyone needs to be worried about, Rinoa. And try to remember, Edea was a good, kind person until she was possessed. Just like you. Being a sorceress doesn't mean you're predestined to be evil. It does mean you need to be a strong person, and have proper support, someone you can count on to tell you when you're in danger of misusing your powers and give you a swift kick in the ass."

Squall was startled into a low laugh. "I'm not even sure anyone else realizes you are one. Worry about it when, but don't borrow trouble now, okay?"

Rinoa managed to smile faintly and nodded. "Thanks, guys."

"Good. So let's see if we can figure this beast out." He turned back to the consoles and scratched his head. On spotting a label that read communications he flipped the switch below it, then fiddled with what he thought was a volume control.

"This is Esthar Airstation," issued from a speaker. "Ragnarok, do you read? This is Esthar Airstation. Do you copy?"

"This ship is called Ragnarok?" Squall mused.

"Whoa! Is this really the Ragnarok? You're in space, right?"

"Yeah, but, I have no idea exactly where or how to fly this thing," he replied.

"Roger that! We can track you from here. Leave it to us. You should have enough fuel. Enter your location into the atmospheric reentry program and you'll be okay. Once you enter the atmosphere we can guide you down. You'll be just fine."

"How do I enter the data?"

"We'll take this step by step. Are you in the pilot seat?"

Squall looked around. "There's too many seats here."

"It's the one on the upper right. Sit there."

He nodded and moved to sit down and examine the console in front of him. In his peripheral vision he noticed Griever taking the co-pilot seat, and Rinoa one in the back. "Okay, I'm here."

"See the touch panel in front of you? Just enter the following data."

"Go ahead," he said, fingers poised and ready.

"WJHEIE/..."

"Entered."

"2872/HD-IEU."

"Entered."

"No errors?"

"It's fine," he confirmed.

"Next, I need you to turn off the gravity generator. Doing so will save some fuel. Use the same touch panel to turn it off."

Squall thought about it for a second and reached down to strap himself in. After the other two had as well, he glanced at the console again and pressed the control with that label. "Done."

"Congratulations, you're home free, Ragnarok. And... there's one more thing we need to tell you. From all of us at ground control, we wish you godspeed. Airstation out."

"I hope you're right," Rinoa whispered.

"About?" Griever responded, looking back over his shoulder.

"You mean well, but... Ultimecia is from the future, and she's trying to achieve time compression. She's the only one who would be able to exist in such a world. She, and no other. As long as I'm free she'll be able to use me to accomplish her goal, right? We can't let that happen, right? And if they've figured it out..."

"This is Esthar Airstation," issued from a speaker. "Ragnarok, please respond."

"Ragnarok here," he said.

"We have some questions for you. We're collecting escape pods and have a good idea of what happened. I hear no one from Lunar Base is on the Ragnarok. How many of you are there?"

"Three."

There was a pause, then, "Your names?"

_'They know.'_ Squall glanced over his shoulder as he said, "Squall. I'm a SeeD from Balamb Garden. The other two are members of my team."

"Their names?"

Rinoa made a resigned gesture that conveyed, "They already know."

He stared at her for a moment, then nodded. "Griever and Rinoa."

"Rinoa? The sorceress... she's on the ship!?"

"She is a member of my team and not a threat," he said firmly.

"The sorceress will be seized on arrival. Be sure to follow the crew's instructions."

Squall touched his forehead and sighed. _'We could always fight them off.'_

_'If that's what she wants. She may cave to fear. I hate to say it, but those fears are understandable. And it's her life to fight for, or surrender to be sealed.'_

Squall frowned at his lover, but nodded. _'I know. But she's not very strong, let's face it. I know what the others would say, but I doubt she'd believe me right now.'_

"Squall, do you copy? Is the sorceress listening, too?"

He bit back the urge to call the man a moron. "Yes, of course she is. As I said, she's a member of my team and not a threat. We didn't go to the trouble of saving her life so you could seal it away!"

"That's not our call. She will be seized on arrival. Airstation out."

Squall glared at the panel before saying, "So how do we play it, Rinoa? Are you willing to fight?"

"I..."

"I know what the others would say. 'Squall, did you even try to stop her!?' They won't give a damn that you're a sorceress. Matron was one since she was five, and we never knew that until just recently. We loved her, and we still love her, whether she's one or not. She came here to Esthar to see if Odine could find a way to protect her from Ultimecia. I know, that doesn't matter now for her, but they sure as hell didn't try to haul her off the second we arrived."

Griever cleared his throat and said, "It's your decision, though. Us forcing you to fight would be just as bad as Esthar forcing you to be sealed. Just don't think that the rest of the team is going to hate you for what you were made to do under Ultimecia's control. They're not like that, as Edea proves. It wasn't your fault, and they'll understand that."

A glance back showed that Rinoa was staring out the window.

Griever continued privately, _'You know, this could be very romantic if the circumstances were otherwise. I used to think it was so cool, people being in space. They'd landed men on the moon in my time, and sent out probes to see what might be out there where we couldn't go yet. So many kids dreamed of being astronauts...'_

Squall settled back to stare out the window, too. _'It is beautiful.'_ He smirked. _'I wonder what it'd be like to make love in null-gravity.'_

_'Sadly, I don't think we're ever going to have the opportunity to find out. We're about to pass through the upper atmosphere. We'll be landing soon.'_

* * *

Posted: 04 April 2008  
Updated:

* * *


	7. Alpha Novus

**Notes**: Battles... meh. I think I understand now why so many redux attempts fail so early on. (I don't remember it being this bad for FF X ... except for that last chapter, I guess. And to think, I had considered doing Star Ocean 3? Ye gods.)

P.S. We hate Odine. We made him even more unintelligible.

* * *

— Convergence: 07: Alpha Novus —

* * *

A number of people could be seen waiting as they came in for a landing. Rinoa's expression was closed off, but she unstrapped herself and got up readily enough. The three of them made their way to the hanger, and Squall's hand was on the release when he said, "Rinoa?"

"You're sure they won't hate me?" she whispered.

"I'm certain."

"Then I don't wanna be sealed."

"Understood. Let's go make that clear, then. If you want, you can wait on the bridge," he said, offering her a way out.

"No, it's okay. I need to be strong."

Squall pressed the release and watched as the center of the floor dropped down to form a ramp. Hand on the hilt of his gunblade, he led them outside.

"Sorceress Rinoa. Hyne's descendant," said an aide at the front of the group.

"Come with us," said another. "We must seal your power for the sake of the world."

"You might want to rethink that idea," Squall said. "She's not going anywhere with you people."

"W-what? But she must!"

"Is there something wrong with your hearing?" he inquired. "She doesn't want to be sealed."

Several of the soldiers pushed forward. "You will comply."

"Ah... no."

"Then we'll make you."

The aides scattered to either side as the soldiers advanced, and soon they were embroiled in a nasty fight, there being more against them than they could handle. And then, the cavalry arrived. The rest of the team screeched to a halt and boiled out of their car, and came to their aid, not bothering to ask questions. With their help the soldiers were routed and fell back in retreat.

"Heeey, what's going on? Why're we fighting?" Selphie asked.

"They want to seal Rinoa, and she's none too keen on that idea," Squall said.

"Does this ship fly? Does it move?"

Squall shrugged. "Who knows?"

"Well," Irvine said, eyeing the regrouping soldiers, "I think now's a good time to find out, don't you?"

Another car pulled up, this one disgorging a huge man who looked strangely familiar.

"Everyone inside!" he ordered, and backed up the ramp. He made sure to be last, and staggered slightly as someone palmed the switch at the top, causing the ramp to rise with him still on it. "Lock that down, and let's see if we can get this thing off the ground."

Griever flipped a switch and nodded, then immediately exited, leading the way for the others.

Zell stuck close to delay him with, "So glad you're safe! We had major problems down here! Some big thing called the Lunatic Pandora came out of nowhere. Matron couldn't achieve what she set out to do because of it, but that's okay, because she's not a sorceress anymore. Is that how Rinoa is? And, oh yeah, the Galbadian military is controlling the Lunatic Pandora.

"They excavated it from the ocean where Esthar sank it years ago. Inside it there's this thing called a 'Crystal Pillar'. It calls monsters from the moon, and man, boy did it ever! Total panic down here! I guess the Lunatic Pandora caught Adel from the stream of monsters coming down. Dr Odine thinks that may have been Galbadia's true intent. Meaning—"

"Zell, that's enough. We need to figure out how to fly this thing before we can catch up." He staggered when the ship rocked, and hoped it wasn't Esthar soldiers to blame. He and Zell reached the lift a few seconds later and rode up.

"Whoa!"

"Whoo-hoo! We're flying!" Selphie caroled.

"Selphie's just amazing," Irvine said admiringly.

"You sure you can handle this?" Squall asked her.

"It just kinda took off! I don't know. It's pretty easy. I think it'll be fine, but there's no guarantee it won't crash!"

_'That was so incredibly comforting.'_ "Selphie, get us away from Esthar for now."

Zell bounced back up and said, "What do we do from here? I'm not really sure, but—don't we have to do something about that Lunatic Pandora? After all, the Galbadians are controlling it. Which means Seifer is behind all this, too, right?"

"Seifer is Ultimecia's puppet," he said slowly.

"Yeah, and that Ultimecia! We can't let that sorceress from the future mess up our world! Let's go kick her ass! We're SeeDs! We're here to destroy sorceresses, right!?"

"Zell!" he snapped with a quick glance at Rinoa.

Zell wilted and said sheepishly, "Sorry."

"Zell's right, and Squall's right," Rinoa said into the silence. "I do remember that. Ultimecia used me to tell Seifer to find that thing, so he is responsible, but he _is_ Ultimecia's puppet, too. I don't think he can really be blamed. It's like... a different kind of control."

"He did say it was his dream to a sorceress knight," Squall mused.

Rinoa nodded. "She's using that. She's twisting his dream, warping it. He probably doesn't understand half the time what he's doing or what he's helping to bring about."

Zell scratched his head in confusion. "So is Seifer a good guy or a bad guy? We're still gonna whoop his butt, right?"

Squall touched his forehead and sighed. "Seifer is an asshole who happens to be in over his head. We will fight him if we have to, make no mistake. So long as he's under Ultimecia's control he's an enemy, okay?"

"So, Squall... where we going?" Quistis asked.

"Um... Can we go to the orphanage you guys were talking about in Trabia?" Rinoa asked.

"That place is in shambles," Quistis said. "There's nothing really to see there."

"I want... to stay away from places where there are lots of people. I'm a sorceress. If Ultimecia possesses me again..."

"We have to go somewhere until we figure out our next move, and FH is a little too close to Esthar for my comfort," Squall said. "Selphie, head to the orphanage."

"Whoo-hoo! On it! This thing flies really fast!"

"Let's go down to the passenger room," he said. "There's not enough room up here for everyone."

"I'm stickin' with Selphie," Irvine said as he slid into the co-pilot seat.

"Whatever."

* * *

As they disembarked (Selphie and Irvine had chosen to stay behind to watch the ship) Angelo ran off, disdaining the ruined structure for a field off to the left. Rinoa followed him, which prompted the others to as well.

"This place is beautiful," Quistis said, crouching down to finger one of the flowers that bloomed there. "It's the kind of place you take someone you care about."

Rinoa aimed a sly look at Zell. "Like the girl in the library...?"

"What!? I don't know what you're talking about!"

"All the girls in the Garden know about it. I noticed right away, too."

"Hey!" Zell looked halfway between pouting and panicking.

"I'm scared. I'm scared Ultimecia will control me again. Scared she'll make me fight against everyone. If that happens... SeeD will come kill me, right? I guess it's okay if it's one of you guys. Nobody else."

Griever shot her a mildly exasperated look, which Rinoa didn't notice.

"Ultimecia is the enemy. Adel is an enemy. They're probably an enemy together right now," Squall said. "You be on your guard. If something happens, we'll deal with it then. Like I said: worry about it when, and don't borrow trouble now."

"I think Zone would be heartbroken if you were sealed," Griever tossed out casually. _'And maybe that'll give her something different to puzzle over?'_

Irvine rushed in. "Emergency, folks! We got radio contact from Esthar's presidential palace. They have a plan to defeat Ultimecia, and they want to hire SeeD to execute it."

"Might be a trap to get Rinoa back in Esthar," Squall said thoughtfully.

"Oh, and, the guy we spoke to, his name's Kiros. Could he be... that Kiros?" Irvine added.

"That certainly puts a different spin on it," Griever commented.

"I think maybe we should talk to this guy before we make any plans to go back to Esthar," he said, and turned back to the Ragnarok.

Back on the bridge Selphie had deciphered the controls well enough to easily hook them up with the palace and get Kiros back on the line.

"Kiros speaking. Will SeeD be accepting the contract?"

"We have questions—"

"Yes, you would. Let me assure you that we have no intention of attempting to seal Sorceress Rinoa again. In fact, her help is instrumental to the plan to defeat Ultimecia."

"I see. Out of curiosity, are Ward and Laguna also there?"

There was a short pause, then, "May I ask with whom I'm speaking?"

"Squall Leonhart, SeeD, and commander of Balamb Garden forces."

There was another pause. "Yes, both are here."

Squall looked over his shoulder and arched a brow questioningly. When Rinoa nodded he turned back and said, "SeeD will accept the contract. An escort from the airstation would be appreciated."

"I will meet you personally. Is that acceptable?"

"Yes. We'll see you there," he said, then nodded to Selphie.

She cut the connection and said, "All right! More flying! I'll get us there in no time."

Back in the passenger room, Rinoa let out a stilted laugh and said, "The funny thing about all of this... I have no idea how to _use_ the sorceress powers."

* * *

Selphie had also figured out how to trip the locks from outside the ship, so they were able to disembark knowing that it would be somewhat protected from the curious, though Squall doubted that Esthar's finest would have to expend massive effort to regain control of it. After all, it was from their country.

Kiros was waiting as promised, and with him was the large man from earlier, the one he assumed was Ward. "Squall Leonhart?"

Squall nodded.

"We are Kiros Seagul and Ward Zaback. Please allow us to escort you and your team to the palace. A car is waiting."

Squall nodded again and motioned to the others. _'Be on guard, okay?'_

_'Damn straight.'_

The ride was silent. At the palace Kiros and Ward escorted them to the president's chambers.

_'Why do I get the sinking feeling those resistance members made my father president of Esthar?'_ he thought on seeing the man standing behind the curved table so prominently occupying the center of the room. He could not see the man's face, as he was facing away, but still... _'Has to be him.'_

Ward ran over to Laguna and just stood there, but his presence seemed to impinge on Laguna's reverie and cause him to turn his head. "Oh, sure," he said and turned around. "Hey there!"

Laguna ran around the table and stopped at the front center. "Been wanting to meet you guys! You guys are the ones who were inside my head, right? Ellone told me. It was like there were some kind of waves running through my head, or faeries flying over us. So I'm Laguna, President Laguna Loire of Esthar. Pleased to meet you. If we weren't in a state of emergency, I'd talk to you some more, but... Well, whatever. What do you want to know?"

Kiros coughed and said, "You'll never get going if President Laguna keeps talking. So why don't you guys throw out some questions, and he'll try to answer them."

Laguna turned and stared at Kiros, then scratched the back of his head as he faced front again. "Man, you look way too serious."

Squall stepped forward. "Whatever. Explain the mission to defeat Ultimecia."

"Ah, straight to the heart of the matter. Just like a workaholic SeeD."

"Iz it my turn?" came Odine's voice from behind.

"Yeah. Make it short and easy to understand."

"I vill talk however I vant!" Odine said with a shake of his fist. "Egh, Sorceress Edea told me everything. Sorceress Ultimecia comes from ze future to possess ze sorceress of present day. Meaning she leaves her body in ze future and sends only her consciousness here. Does zat sound familiar to you?"

"Yes, like what Ellone is capable of."

"You're a smart one! My first guess was zat someone in ze future vith an ability like Ellone was sending ze sorceress back here to our time. But no! Zat is not ze answer. So how does ze sorceress come back to this time...? Egh! I kept zis a secret to surprise you. It iz because of me, Odine! I researched Ellone's power long ago and made a pattern from ze electric current running zrough her brain. Once ze pattern vas determined it vas easy to mechanize.

"It may only be a toy right now, but in ze time of Ultimecia it iz an impressive vorking machine zat imitates Ellone's power! I named ze machine 'Junction Machine Ellone'! It iz a vonderful zing to know zat my invention is used in ze future!"

"Junction Machine Ellone," he repeated. "So Sorceress Ultimecia came to know about Ellone from that machine."

"And Elle because Ultimecia's target," said Laguna. "You can't blame Odine. It's useless."

Odine shook his fist again. "You vant to go outside!? You vant to fisticuffs!? Okay, ve continue ze story. Let's see..." He began pacing around the room aimlessly as he spoke. "Zere iz only one vay to defeat Ultimecia. You must kill her in ze future. Zere iz nothing ve can do unless ve go to ze future. Zere iz no way to jump to ze future under normal circumstances, but zere iz a way!

"It iz because Sorceress Ultimecia plans to compress time. Vhy? Ve don't know. In order for Ultimecia to exist in zis time she must take over ze body of a sorceress from ze present. But ze machine must have a limit. Ultimecia probably needs to go back farther in time to achieve time compression, and only Ellone can take her back farther into ze past. So zat must be vhy she iz desperately seeking her.

"Ve must take advantage of Ellone's power. Zere are two known sorceresses in our time, Sorceress Rinoa and Sorceress Adel. Of ze two, Adel has not yet avakened. Once regeneration iz completed, neither Laguna nor I vill be safe. Sorceress Adel is probably in ze process of avakening inside Lunatic Pandora. Ultimecia vill vant to possess Adel, if Adel vakes up. Zat vill be a horrible event. Adel iz a horrible sorceress. If Adel's consciousness vins over Ultimecia, Adel vill first destroy this era.

"So ve must use Sorceress Rinoa to inherit Adel's powers. Zat's all for the mission briefing. First, go to Lunatic Pandora. Ellone's probably being held captive inside, so rescue her first. Zen kill Sorceress Adel before ze avakening process iz completed. Now, ve're left with Rinoa. When Ultimecia arrives, it's Ellone's turn.

"Ellone vill send Rinoa back to ze past vith Ultimecia, inside another sorceress she knows in the past. Edea or Adel... zat's up to Ellone. Once Ultimecia iz in ze past, she'll use ze time compression magic. Ve'll see some influence here. I don't know vhat kind of influence, but once Ellone feels it, she'll cut Rinoa and Ultimecia off from ze past.

"Rinoa vill come back to zis vorld. Ultimecia also goes back to her own vorld. Vhat vould be left is ze time compressed vorld. Past, present, and future vill all get mixed togezer. You vill keep moving zrough ze time compression toward ze future. Once you're out of ze time compression, zat vill be Ultimecia's vorld. It's all up to you after zat."

_'I think... I have a headache,'_ Griever complained.

Laguna scratched his head and said, "I don't really understand the mission, but it seems like the only option. Will you do it?"

Squall planted a hand on one hip and furrowed his brow. "I have other questions I'd like to ask, but now really isn't the time. Yes, we'll do the mission."

"All right!" Laguna crowed. "Let's go! We'll get aboard the Ragnarok! Let's do the final briefing in there, okay? I always wanted to ride that thing. Plus the name sounds so cool!"

_'I think I have a headache, too, and it's not just from the briefing. Still, I can't help but kind of like the man.'_

On the Ragnarok they gathered in the passenger room and Laguna bounced up to the front and faced them all. "All right! Everyone! From here, we go straight to our final target, Ultimecia! Let's go over the plan again. First, enter Lunatic Pandora and rescue Ellone. Next, you fight Sorceress Adel. It'll be a surprise attack. Show no mercy. Now, here comes the tricky part! Adel will need to pass on her powers after being defeated. Rinoa, will you be willing to accept them?"

Rinoa squirmed a bit, but said, "Yes!"

"Great! Next, we wait for Sorceress Ultimecia to possess Rinoa! This'll be hard on you, Rinoa, but will you do it?"

She squirmed a bit more. "Yes."

"That's the spirit! Then, Ellone sends Rinoa and Ultimecia to the past! Ellone brings back Rinoa! Then, head to the future through compressed time! Ultimecia lives far in the future where none of us can technically exist. There's only one way to make yourself exist in a world like that! As friends, don't forget one another! As friends, believe in one another! Believe in your friends' existence! And they'll also believe in yours. To be friends, to like one another, and to love one another...

"You can't do these things alone. You need somebody. Right, guys? What place reminds you of your friends? Imagine being in that place with all your friends. Once time compression begins, think of that place and try to get there! That's all! That place will welcome you. You'll be able to get there no matter what period you're in! You need love and friendship for this mission! And the courage to believe it. It's all about love, friendship, and courage! I'm counting on you guys!"

Squall turned and said, "Selphie, take us to the Lunatic Pandora."

"On it!" She dashed out, followed by everyone but Squall and Griever, though even he moved back to haunt the door.

Squall looked at Laguna and said, "Love and friendship and all that sounds corny, but everyone seems to be up for it."

"You think it'll succeed?"

"We'll try. You and I... have some things to talk about later, after all this is over... dad." As he turned to go Laguna groaned and crouched down to clutch his calf. Squall smiled faintly as he collected Griever at the door and rode up to the bridge.

They were already almost there. Zell punched the air and said, "Here we go! Let's bust in there!"

"I wonder if we can get through," Quistis worried out loud.

"Ah, don't worry about it," Irvine said lazily. "Are the machine guns and main cannon ready?"

"Rrrready! Let's just fire like crazy and make a big hole. Booom!" Selphie steered right for the structure as Irvine manned the guns, but the projectiles were repelled by some kind of shield. "Gonna ram 'em!" she shouted happily.

The nose of the Ragnarok broke through, so Irvine began shooting again, switching to the main cannon after only seconds. A gigantic hole was blown in the side, and Selphie released the steering controls to man a different set, causing the ship's 'arms' to reach out and extend claws, which dug them in further. Far enough, actually.

"We're good!" she called and bounced out of the pilot seat, gesturing for everyone to get going.

Outside they could hear footsteps approaching, and a familiar voice. "Big sound, this way. It's probably them, you know?"

"Them? Impossible!"

Seconds later they came face-to-face with Raijin and Fujin. "Ahhhh! It _is_ Squall, you know?"

"Shock. Good. Convenient."

Raijin nodded. "That's right. Hand over Rinoa, you know!?"

"No! We've come for Ellone, and we won't let you resurrect Adel, either!"

"You're greedy, you know! Not fair, you know!?"

"Persuasion, useless. Seize."

"She's right, you know!? Let's go!"

They fought, Squall and his team won.

Fujin gasped, "Retreat. Temporary."

"R-r-right! We're not through yet, you know!" Raijin said as they both ran off and disappeared.

Farther in they encountered them again, but this time a huge machine was set on them. Once that was dispatched they continued on up the ramp and through the door Fujin and Raijin had retreated through, to see not only them, but also Seifer and Ellone.

"Looks like we got company," Seifer said, tapping Hyperion on his shoulder. "Show 'em your hospitality."

Raijin started to advance, but stopped dead when Fujin yelled, "Raijin, stop!"

Seifer shot her a puzzled look. "What's up?"

"We've had enough, you know..."

Fujin pushed Ellone forward. "Go!"

Ellone darted past Raijin to Squall, who pushed her gently behind him. "Wait outside. Laguna should be here soon."

She hesitated, clearly uncertain, then fled through the door they had entered by.

"Hey, hey," Seifer said. "Come on, people."

"Seifer, we're quittin', you know? Don't know what's right anymore, you know..."

"Exactly my thoughts. I thought we were a posse."

"Posse..." Fujin sighed and stepped toward Raijin, then looked at Seifer. "We are. We always will be. Because we're a posse, we want to help you. Whatever it takes to fulfill your dream, we're willing to do."

Squall barely kept the surprise off his face at hearing her speak normally.

"But... you're being manipulated, Seifer. You've lost yourself and your dream. You're just eating out of someone's hand. We want the old you back! Since we can't get through to you, all we have now to rely on is Squall! It's sad... sad that we only have Squall to rely on. Seifer! Are you still gonna keep goin'?"

Seifer just smiled. "Raijin, Fujin! It's been fun!"

Fujin shook her head, tapped Raijin's arm, and exited with him through the same door.

Squall faced his former sparring partner with a frown. "Are you going to continue with this knight thing?"

"The knight has retired. I guess you could call me a young revolutionary," Seifer said with a smirk.

"What do you think you're doing?" he asked, truly not understanding.

"I've always gotta be doing something _big_! I don't want to stop. I'm gonna keep running! I've come this far... I'm gonna make it to the end, to the goal! There's no way I'm sharing it with you!"

Seifer was shortly laid out on the ground, a victim of his own hubris.

Rinoa took a step toward him, then stopped. "Seifer..." She shook her head and turned away. "There's another door over there."

Seifer jumped up as everyone turned to look and rushed Rinoa, manhandling her through the door. They could hear him shout back, "Not yet! It's not over yet, Squall!"

"Damn it! Why the hell won't he stay down!" he snarled and followed.

By the time they caught up Seifer had reached Adel's tomb, despite Rinoa's resistance. "Seifer!"

"Rinoa and Adel! The sorceresses as one! Watch closely, Squall!" Seifer taunted, then shoved Rinoa at the tomb. Adel broke free of the remains of her confinement and pulled Rinoa to her, a mad smile on her face, then lashed out at the team with a casting of Meteor just after Seifer skipped out of the way.

"Careful now," Squall cautioned as he made use of a megalixer. _'This was not exactly what I had in mind when it came to defeating Adel. And... are we even sure that's a woman!?'_ He quickly made a decision and cast Regen on Rinoa in case she got hurt, then turned his attention back to Adel.

Griever, Quistis, and Selphie quickly began Shelling everyone as Irvine lined up for a shot and Zell bounced into range to smack Adel around. He felt almost helpless in a way, his usual role in battle abandoned for fear that he would hit Rinoa as well, and wouldn't that just screw up the plan?

_'You can't always be the hero,'_ Griever teased as he began tossing around Protect. _'And I'm wondering if that's really a female myself. Looks like she overdosed on steroids.'_

Squall snorted as he sliced Adel wickedly, wishing he could really cut loose. They were nailed with Ultima shortly after, but no one was knocked out, and Squall began to notice a pattern in how the sorceress fought. He wondered if it was because she was only just awakened and wasn't thinking clearly enough yet, then cast another Regen on Rinoa.

Eventually, they defeated Adel, a sign of passage being that same phenomenon that had happened to matron, and a freed Rinoa began to accept her powers. Laguna and Ellone raced in just as Rinoa's expression and stance changed to something insidiously ugly.

"Ellone, now's your chance!" Laguna urged.

Ellone nodded and bowed her head, bringing her hands up to clasp before her almost as though in prayer. A moment later she began to glow, and after a short time Rinoa collapsed.

Laguna patted her on the shoulder and said, "Okay, Ellone. Just get Rinoa back."

She nodded again, but waited, the seconds ticking by ominously, then suddenly began to glow again. Ellone relaxed and lowered her arms, and Laguna turned to her and ruffled her hair affectionately.

Rinoa stirred, and then hauled herself up to her feet. "I... was inside Adel. The young Adel."

"Ultimecia's inside Adel, exactly as she wanted," Laguna said. "Okay, this is the showdown folks! Time compression is starting. Love, friendship, and courage! Show 'em what you got!" He grabbed Ellone's hand and ran off with her just as everything went strange.

Adel's tomb and the surrounding space began to warp and twist out of shape around them. Without warning they sank, as though everything had turned to liquid, and they were shortly freefalling through a blue sky raining with wobbling drops of what looked like places or memories, pieces of time itself.

"Where are we supposed to go!?" Quistis asked.

A second later they plunged into an ocean; schools of fish darted around them and upward welling rock formations as long blades of plantlife swayed back and forth in the current.

"To Edea's house!"

"I'll... probably disappear," Rinoa said fretfully.

"Just stay with us," Squall said. "We won't let you disappear."

They dropped out of the ocean and into a sunset sky. As they fell in the inexplicably reversed world, thousands upon thousands of birds appeared and began to fly in circles, forming a vortex to suck them in, like being inside of a twister. Eventually those disappeared, and all that remained was black and dark grey and flashes of white, forming a curving, twisting tunnel they continued to fall through. And then, it was all blinding white.

As their vision was restored, Squall realized that he had just drifted down to stand upon a quite normal floor in a room draped with white gauze. The presidential residence in Deling, he thought. Ahead was a door, which they used, only to find themselves back where they started, but for one difference. A chair was present, and in it a figure, a figure which stood and blurred into two. They turned and stepped around the chair, then attacked.

"Sorceresses?"

As they killed one, another drifted down from above to take her place, and the scenery changed as well, shifting them to Timber. The pattern continued, taking them to places all over the world, until they defeated the tenth in Winhill. Then, abruptly, they were standing on a platform of hard-packed dark dirt, facing an eleventh sorceress, this one resembling nothing so much as a huge larval form. When she had been defeated they found themselves at the orphanage, but not the one they had most recently seen. This one was of the past, the buildings still unravaged and vines still creeping up the walls.

_'I have no idea.'_ Squall looked around, noticing that the field was blooming with flowers, but otherwise looked normal._ 'The beach? At least we all arrived in the same place.'_ He shrugged and headed for the main building, knowing the others would follow, and stepped inside. Seeing nothing out of the ordinary he took the door to the side and then again to the left, exiting out into the tiny courtyard above the beach.

As they gathered there the quality of light changed, becoming darker and ominous. Two dead white SeeDs phased into view on the ground, and chains leading up to the sky appeared, anchored to various points of the land.

"Future SeeDs... We're fighting across generations," he said, then followed the chains upward with his eyes to see a huge floating castle of grey stone, backed by a full moon. The sky was even darker, with oddly moving clouds, and thunder and lightning crashed and flashed intermittently.

"Ultimecia's reign... We have to end it now." Not seeing a way up so close, Squall took the path down to the beach area, nearly stumbling over more bodies of white SeeDs. The landscape had changed, availing them only one way to continue, up a massive chain anchored to the tip of the promontory they stood on.

At the top, after a nerve-wracking journey, they paused to collect themselves.

"Whoa!" Zell said. "So this is her castle?"

"Finally," Selphie said. "We're here."

Irvine wrinkled his nose in distaste. "I've never seen anything so creepy. You think what's-her-name really lives here?"

"We've come this far," Rinoa said. "She's gotta be here."

"What are we going to do, Squall?" Quistis asked.

"We go inside," he said as he began to walk up the steps toward he massive double doors. As soon as he got within a certain distance they cracked open to admit them, something like blue-white fog billowing out and cascading down the steps.

Ultimecia, it seemed, had prepared a little surprise for them. Once through the doors a peculiar sensation passed through them, and Squall was angered to realize that his access to any and all abilities given them by the Guardian Forces had been cut off.

He ignored the mutterings and exclaimations of the others to have a good look around, and noticed a creature up a set of stairs. "Let's see what happens if we take care of that beast up there. If our powers are sealed away, perhaps Ultimecia has given those seals into the keeping of her... servants?"

They ascended the staircase and engaged the beast, which responded by saying, "Face my wrath for seeking thy sealed power!"

_'Nice call,'_ Griever said. _'Something tells me this place is going to be a nightmare.'_

They dispatched the monster, realizing as it died that they could once again use magic. "Okay," Squall said, "we obviously need to find the other seal guardians. There's no way we can face Ultimecia crippled like we are now." He headed through the door that had been blocked, emerging on a balcony. Directly ahead was a massive chandelier that spanned the distance between them and another balcony with a door across the room; below the room had several doors, a hatch, and a staircase.

"Griever, Quistis, with me. We're gonna try to cross that thing," he said. Halfway across the chandelier shuddered and dropped rapidly to crash against the floor and spill them out, then slowly rose back up. _'Figures.'_

_'There's a lever down here, too.'_ Griever stood up and went to it, then pushed. Something overhead clicked, the sound echoing in the cavernous space.

Squall nodded and got up, then craned his neck to see the others. "Try again!"

The four above made it across easily, then stopped before entering the door.

"Go ahead! We're going to check out this hatch!"

And so it went, with both groups moving through the castle and defeating various guardians of the seals. Their abilities came back one by one, and eventually they all met up at the start of a long walkway on top of a wall. At the end was a building, what had to be where they would find the sorceress. Squall stopped outside the door leading in and said, "Are we ready?" Various forms of agreement sounded, so Squall opened the door and led them in.

There, up ahead, was Ultimecia, sitting on a throne. "SeeD... SeeD... SeeD, SeeD, SeeD! Kurse all SeeDs. Swarming like lokusts akross generations. You disgust me. The world was on the brink of that ever-elusive 'time kompression'. Insolent fools! Your vain krusade ends here, SeeDs. The price for your meddling is death beyond death. I shall send you to a dimension beyond your imagining. There, I will reign, and you will be my slaves for eternity." She laughed maniacally. "Whom shall I exterminate first!?"

Surprisingly, she was not all that difficult to fight. But things were never so easy. Ultimecia laughed as she looked straight at Squall and said, "The most powerful GF... You shall... _suffer_!" Her hand reached out, twisting in a hooking gesture before pulling back, and a strange light flew from Squall's ring.

And then she said something that made Squall want to laugh himself senseless. "The GF's true power... To show you...! Griever! Make them bleed!"

"Since when am I a bloody GF!?" his lover sputtered indignantly, which made Squall want to laugh that much more.

Ultimecia seemed quite, well, offended by Squall's badly concealed mirth as her concept of Griever formed before them, a huge bearded beast with wings and horns; it didn't even look like a lion. It attacked moments later, and Squall hastily got a hold of himself.

Another fierce battle ensued, and then Ultimecia said in frustration, "I shall junction myself... unto Griever!"

"Not in this lifetime, you psychotic hag!" his lover shouted, which seemed to throw her off stride again.

They fought again, this time against the combined might, and brought it low. Ultimecia vanished with a tortured cry and all light bled away, leaving them in endless darkness.

_'Is that...?'_

A form swooped up, Ultimecia again, this time utterly hideous in shape and anger. "I am Ultimecia. Time _shall_ compress. All existence denied!"

She spoke as they battled her, interspersing her words between the attacks that flew back and forth. "Reflect on your... childhood. Your sensations... your words... your emotions. Time... it shall not wait. No matter... how hard you hold on... it escapes you. And..."

And then she was gone, along with the darkness, leaving nothing but endless, blinding white.

"Is it over?" Irvine asked. "Let's go! Let's go back to our time!"

"We need to think where we have to go!" Selphie yelled.

"Careful, guys!" Zell added. "Don't pick the wrong time!"

"But where?" It was Rinoa. "The flower field! Yes! Let's go there!"

Quistis yelled, "Whatever you do, don't fall into a time warp!"

_'Yeah, because it's so frickin' easy to recognize one when we're essentially blind!?'_

_'Squall, where are you?'_

_'I'm—what...?'_ He was utterly confused when a dark-haired child ran by saying, "I'm gonna find Sis!"

His vision returned to normal to reveal the orphanage. "Squall!" shouted a familiar voice, and he turned to see matron of old.

"Excuse me," she said to him. "Have you seen a little boy?"

"You don't have to worry. They boy won't go anywhere."

She sighed. "I think so, too. Poor thing..."

Edea turned suddenly, just as Squall saw Ultimecia appear, hunched over and moving with difficulty. "You're... alive!?"

"A sorceress?"

"Yes, we had defeated her," he replied, moving to stand between her and Ultimecia. "Matron, stand back."

"It's okay," she said quietly. "There's no more need to fight. That sorceress is just looking for someone to pass her powers on to. In order to die in peace, a sorceress must be free of all her powers. I know... for I am one, too. I shall accept her powers, for I don't want one of the children to become one."

Ultimecia drew closer and lifted her head. "I... can't... disappear yet." But despite her words and the determination on her face, Ultimecia seemed to realize she had no other choice and released her powers to Edea. She died then, fading away into nothing.

"Matron!!"

Edea straightened up from the having received the powers and turned to him, a look of inquiry on her face. "You called me matron? Who... are you?"

"A SeeD. A SeeD from Balamb Garden." Her evident confusion prompted him to elaborate. "Both SeeD and Garden were your ideas. Garden trains SeeDs, to defeat the sorceress."

"What are you saying? You're"—she glanced down the walkway—"that boy... from the future?"

"Matron..."

"Please return," she said firmly. "You do not belong here."

The child ran back and turned a woeful expression on Edea. "I can't find Sis. Am I... all alone? Who's he?"

"Nobody," she told the child. "You don't need to know. The only Squall permitted here is you." Edea turned to him and asked, "Do you know where to go back to? Do you know how? Will you be all right by yourself?"

Squall saluted her and thought, _'I'll be all right, matron. Because I'm not alone.'_

Everything faded to black again, and he heard, _'No, you're not! Now come on, think, Squall! Concentrate! It was just after we defeated Adel. How can you talk to your father if you can't see getting there? Think of where we want to meet, _when_ we want to meet!'_

_'Where? Tell me where?'_

Someone reached out and took his hand in theirs. _'Let's go to the Ragnarok, okay?'_

_'What about the others?'_ He closed his hand tightly around Griever's.

_'They're headed for the flower field. But wouldn't it be nice to talk to your father without everyone getting in the way? And besides, you have a contract to negotiate after the fact and collect on.'_

_'The Ragnarok, then,'_ he said with a soundless laugh.

It was a bit of a shock to emerge from time compression onto the Ragnarok, and then realize they weren't anywhere in Esthar; instead the Kashkabald Desert, not all that far from the orphanage.

_'So much for that. I guess we're going there anyway.'_

_'Yeah, unless you want to figure out how to fly this ship yourself.'_

_'I'd like to, actually, but I guess we should go find the others and let them know we're okay.'_

They were hailed as they passed the broken outer wall of the orphanage. Selphie came running down the walkway. "You made it! We were really worried when you guys didn't show up in the field."

"We rather overshot the mark," Griever said with false sheepishness, then added slyly, "You'll be happy to know that the Ragnarok isn't far away."

"All right! We can fly that to get back to Garden!" She slipped between them, turning, then linked arms with them and started walking back to the building up ahead. "We've been catching up matron and the headmaster while we waited."

_'I don't... think I'm going to say anything about that episode here in the past.'_ "So they're all right, too."

"Yep! Come on!"

_'At least now you've a good idea why Cid chose you to be commander.'_

They crossed over the threshold and then through the ruined wall at the back. Everyone was waiting, and there was a not unexpected period of happy shouts and exclaimations, and then Cid said, "You did exceptionally well. I think this calls for a celebration, don't you all?"

"And I gotta update my diary, too," Selphie burbled. "Then everyone at Garden can read about what happened!"

"Headmaster, matron, we have an airship nearby. You will come with us, right?"

Back on the ship... "This is Ragnarok, calling Esthar presidential palace. Do you copy?"

"Esthar presidential palace," issued an unfamiliar voice from a speaker.

Squall furrowed his brow. "Squall Leonhart speaking. I'm trying to contact President Loire, or Kiros Seagul."

"Hold on." After a short pause the voice said, "They are not in Esthar at present. I'm not authorized to release their location."

_'Damn it.'_ "Do you know when they'll return?"

"Negative, Ragnarok."

"Ah, okay. Thank you. Ragnarok out."

Selphie flipped a switch and gazed up at him. "Where could he be?"

"We all went to a place that had meaning for us," Griever said. "Maybe Esthar wasn't that place for him?"

"Selphie, let's drop by Winhill."

"All right!" She turned to the console, murmuring, "And I can add the coordinates to the auto-pilot system after we get there."

Squall just shook his head and retreated down the lift, disdaining the passenger room to head through the door to the walkway and take a seat at the top of the stairs.

"You think he's visiting Raine's grave?" Griever asked, sitting down as well.

"Makes sense."

"Planning to invite them to Cid's grand celebration?"

"Yeah. Or we can at least drop him off at the airstation. I wonder if he'll want Ragnarok back?"

Griever chortled. "You can argue that when you negotiate. Maybe you can get a smaller ship out of him, if not this one. There is a saying, you know. Finders keepers. Now that this is all over, do you want to remain at Garden?"

"I don't know. There's something to be said for Rinoa's outlook on life, after all. It's been the only life I've had, but... it's not really a life you can have with me. All I had wanted to do was pass the exam and become a SeeD, and now that doesn't seem so important anymore."

His lover nodded and leaned against him briefly. "Take a holiday. We can spend time in Esthar and you can come to a decision."

They found Laguna on a gently rolling plain outside of Winhill; Ellone, Kiros, and Ward were with him.

"I wanted to invite all of you to the celebration Headmaster Cid is planning," Squall said quietly.

Laguna hunched slightly and scratched the back of his head. "We can do that. Never been in a Garden. Are they nice?"

He touched his forehead briefly. "Yes. Afterward, I was hoping that... we could have that talk. We thought maybe we could take you back to Esthar, and stay a while."

"All of you?"

Squall shook his head. "I have no idea what the others have in mind for the immediate future, and this is kinda personal. The only person I'd want with me is Griever."

"Ah, okay." Laguna cast a quick look over his shoulder, at Raine's grave. "Well, shall we go?"

* * *

They snuck out of Garden quite late, the six of them, well after the end of the celebration. Squall had taken the time to speak privately with the headmaster to inform him of his plans, and while Cid was not exactly happy, neither was he unhappy, and promised he would simply tell the others that Squall was taking a well deserved break, but not where.

The Ragnarok easily returned to Esthar thanks to the auto-pilot system and landed at the airstation, from which they took a car to the palace. Squall and Griever were led to a small suite and promised that someone familiar would come to collect them the next day.

That turned out to be lunch, and afterward, Kiros and Ward took their leave, while Ellone stole Griever, leaving Squall and Laguna alone.

"So," said Laguna. "You had some questions, right?"

"Yeah. I'll start simple. I know from one of the dreams that the resistance against Adel helped you to rescue Ellone and talked about you being their leader, but... how exactly did you end up president of Esthar?"

Laguna brightened and said, "You wanna hear it? Really? Okay. I only set out to rescue Ellone. Esthar was ruled by Adel then, with the ingenious yet inhumane Odine. After we escaped from the Lunatic Pandora Research Facility... well, you know that part. But both Adel and Odine were interested in Ellone, and I couldn't just leave it at rescuing her. They might have kept trying.

"Odine was obsessed with his research, most of it done under Adel's orders, but he was making other stuff, too. One of the things he'd created was a device to seal magic, and I thought, maybe we could use that to defeat Adel? I owed a big favor to the resistance who helped me to rescue Ellone, so I talked about it with Kiros and Ward. I ended up sending Ellone back to Raine in Winhill so we could concentrate on the other stuff.

"First, we had to stop the Crystal Pillar from calling monsters from the moon and destroying everything like what happened in Centra. Second, freeing Esthar from Adel's hands. We planned and planned. Based on my brilliant ideas, of course." Laguna grinned proudly.

"Anyway, we snuck back into the Lunatic Pandora Research Facility. Following Odine's instructions—he really wasn't all that interested in it anymore—we operated the panels and moved the Crystal Pillar. We set the course and the stop point in the ocean, and... goodbye!"

"So that's how it came to be sunk," he stated softly, remembering what Zell had said aboard the Ragnarok.

"Yeah! That part was easy. But... we were found out. So we gathered for a final battle to lure Adel, and Adel appeared as we expected, at the Sorceress Memorial. She demanded to know what was going on, and I told her we'd hunted down the culprit who moved the Crystal Pillar, that they were inside, holding Ellone hostage. I knew she'd go in right away if I mentioned Ellone.

"Inside, in the sealing device, we'd put a hologram of Ellone. Adel realized what it was, but... it was too late. I pushed her! I pushed her right into the device and she got sealed! Adel was careless, arrogant. She might have been a sorceress, but after all, she was human. We succeeded, but then... we couldn't keep such a dangerous sorceress around as a trophy!

"We had to do something, so... we decided to send her far, far away. Someplace very far, into outer space. We used the Ragnarok and two other ships like it to carry Adel's tomb into space and put it into orbit. The real work began after that. A fierce debate ensued about who should govern the country now that Adel was gone. I wasn't playing close attention while they made me up to be the hero of this revolution, and I ended being president."

Squall shook his head slowly in bemusement.

"Odine was still making a lot of noise about wanting to do research on Ellone, though. It was a mistake to send Ellone alone back to Raine? I don't know. Raine died, and Elle was sent to the orphanage. If only I had gone back to Winhill with Elle... I would have been able to see Raine one last time. Raine was dead, Ellone was missing... My job kept me busy. I was left here thinking about this and that and before I knew it all this time had passed.

"I found out later from Elle that the Kramers took her out of the orphanage to protect her from Odine. They prepared a big ship to accommodate her. Gracious of them, huh? After a while the ship turned into another orphanage and Elle looked after all the kids. She said her life on the ship was a happy one, but who knows...? She was there for ten years. It was pure luck that we found them during the attack by Galbadia. I was out in space at that time, but she came back to Esthar and followed to the station. Little Elle was all grown up... Then she told me everything. Well, that's about it."

"Not all of it," Squall disagreed. "So... you didn't know about me?"

Laguna shook his head violently. "I swear, had I known...! I didn't know until Ellone joined me on the station. And by then..."

He sighed and gazed off out one of the windows. "You must have left to find Ellone before Raine knew...?"

"Yeah. I'm... sorry, Squall. I don't know what else to say. I was so focused on finding Ellone that I never even considered that Raine... that Raine and I..."

Squall shook his head. "I can't blame you. I can't be angry. And Sis gave me chances to see parts of your life. I was so alone. Sis had been taken away, everyone else left, and I ended up alone at Garden. Seifer was there with me, but I don't really count him. Well, I had Griever."

"Your friend. He was at Garden?"

_'Can I...?'_

_'I think if you couch it as a unique ability like Ellone's...'_

Squall looked back at his father and said, "No. Here." He tapped his temple. "He's able to talk to me, in my head, kind of like Ellone can do if she's connected to someone's consciousness to send them into the past. Griever's been with me since Sis disappeared. At first I made up a story for myself as to what or who he was. That's why I bought this ring, actually. And I named them Griever. I understood by then, but... Still, it was kind of how I thought of him. A fierce protector, a brave lion. And my dearest friend."

Laguna scratched his head. "Can he send people back, too?"

"No, no. Just talk to me. Well, we talk to each other. He's part of the reason why I've been considering..."

"Leaving Garden?" Laguna said with a tilt of his head.

"Yeah. He's not a SeeD for one thing. Doesn't want to be one, either. He joined in our fight because I needed him, you know? I had just been made commander and I was having a really hard time dealing with the responsibility. If I remained at Garden, well... he can't be there with me."

Laguna suddenly seemed to experience an epiphany. "Oh... He's... special, to you?"

Squall eyed his father carefully, looking for any signs of dismay or disgust. "He is. Very special."

"Okay," Laguna said simply. "I'd love to get to know him better, then! You should take a break from Garden! Stay here for a while!"

"We were kinda hoping you'd let us do that. We talked about it on the way to Winhill. Of course, Griever also joked about me negotiating the terms of that contract to defeat Ultimecia, and the fee."

Laguna threw back his head and laughed.

**— The End, Maybe —**

* * *

**Note**: I'm still thinking about this. In the spirit of the game I can consider this complete, but... I don't know if I want to leave it like this. So it's complete, but it might not stay that way. Dunno.

Posted: 06 April 2008  
Updated:

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